Rainwater Harvesting
Indice degli argomenti
-
Historically, rainwater harvesting in Malta has played a significant role in the country’s water management strategy. In most villages, every townhouse is connected to a rainwater harvesting system to ensure that every drop of water is collected and used during the dry summer months. Within the fortified cities of Cottonera, significant importance was given to rainwater harvesting as part of the security features of the fortifications during times of siege.
The Energy and Water Agency's restoration process through the Alter Aqua project envisages the re-utilisation of these rainwater harvesting cisterns located within Cottonera for secondary water use, such as public cleaning of roads and irrigation of gardens. Restoration of large reservoirs and the construction of new ones have been undertaken since 2014. Furthermore, the restoration process shall also introduce an educational component through which an interactive digital trail is developed throughout the Cottonera region to highlight the Alter Aqua project, the history of these reservoirs and how their use has transformed throughout the centuries.
Fields of application
Many Mediterranean cities and communities have rainwater harvesting systems that have been either abandoned or in dire need of repair. Therefore, through the best practice being proposed by the Energy and Water Agency, enabling rainwater harvesting to become a reliable source of secondary water use, could be replicated along the region, also providing educational material to reintroduce the need for such cisterns and therefore start becoming integrated within modern urban fabric. Furthermore, the IPCC projects that the Mediterranean region is prone to more flooding events, and therefore, through the restoration of these cisterns and installation of new infrastructure will also act as a mitigation measure for these extreme events, reducing floods and increasing the overall accessibility to water.
Target
The Mediterranean Region
References/Online resources
https://www.bpinventory.com/best-practice/alteraqua-malta-project-phase-iii
Contacts
Manuel Sapiano
📧manuel.sapiano@gov.mt