The greens have called on authorities to better manage the country’s water supplies, blaming neglected and inadequate infrastructure for water wastage.

At a press conference on Saturday, ADPD pointed to overflowing sewers after heavy rainfall as evidence of a lack of maintenance and planning on the part of authorities, calling the wasted water unjustified.

Noting that homes used to be built with a water cistern in the past, the party’s deputy chairperson Carmel Cacopardo said the Planning Authority had an “obligation” to ensure modern properties were provided with cisterns.

The Water Services Corporation (WSC), meanwhile, had a “responsibility” to make sure rainwater runoff did not end up in the sewage system, he said, adding it led to overflow in areas like Misda, the site of the press conference, “and this poses a danger to all.”

Msida is frequently flooded during heavy rainfall, with videos of cars driving through high water levels shared on social media.

“In some cases, flooded streets also smell of sewage, because the sewage system cannot cope with the sudden increase in rainwater; the overflow is a mix of rainwater and sewage,” he said.

Cacopardo said rainwater entering the sewage system ended up in sewage treatment plants in Xgħajra and Mellieħa, with the additional pressure meaning the plants were unable to keep up, sending untreated sewage into the sea.

“It is a costly consequence, as well as polluting, and this can be avoided only if the authorities ensure that the law is observed,” he said.

Turning to water usage, ADPD general secretary Ralph Cassar called distribution of purified sewage water to farmers as “stingy”, arguing for proportional distribution in line with farmer needs.

“Farmers have told us that access to this water should only depend on the amount of agricultural produce a farmer produces and on the extent of the agricultural land... that is for real farmers only”, he said.

Cassar said it was “unfortunate” that WSC was “taking too long” to improve the taste of tap water, calling bottled water a “waste of resources”.

“The corporation should prioritise this project, which is certainly beneficial, so that more and more people are encouraged to use tap water”, he said.