The greywater recycling system and the green roof were installed in the framework of the Non Conventional Water Resources (NCWR) Programme in Malta or Alter Aqua, a multi-stakeholder initiative promoting the NCWR utilisation as a sustainable way to enhance water availability and climate change adaptation in the Maltese islands. It is implemented by the Sustainable Energy and Water Conservation Unit of the Ministry for Energy & Health, the Ministry for Gozo and its ecoGozo Project, the GWP-Med and the Coca-Cola System in Malta (The Coca-Cola Company and The General Soft Drinks Co. Ltd), with a $1.24 million Coca-Cola Foundation grant and co-funding by the Ministry for Gozo.
The planning and installation took place in collaboration with the Institute of Applied Science at MCAST, involving students and scientific staff, in a technical study which included calculations for the greywater recycling potential and the system’s design. With approximately 1,000 students hosted at the Institute, mostly involved in environmental studies and water technologies, the greywater recycling system will serve both operational and educational purposes. “This type of project is a first for Malta, with MCAST being a pioneer in its application”, Hon. Chris Agius said. “I am very pleased to hear that there are similar cases within the Alter Aqua Project, both already completed with very good results throughout Malta, as well as in the Project's pipeline. We look forward to more such projects that will benefit our country, because that's the way forward. We have to be innovative and cutting-edge, and this inauguration here, today is an example of that approach", he stressed.
A workshop on greywater recycling systems, open to all students, preceded the inauguration event, offering insights on the greywater recycling potential, as an alternative water resource, and the technical details of such a system: Mr. Manuel Sapiano, Chief Technical Officer on Water at the Sustainable Energy and Water Conservation Unit of the Ministry for Energy & Health, explained the NCWR critical role in the currently developed New Water Management Plan for the Maltese Islands, while Dr. Ing. Alex Rizzo, Director of Institute of Applied Science, elaborated on the lessons learned from the greywater recycling experience at MCAST. The Alter Aqua Programme’s objectives, activities and achievements, and its contribution to the water scarcity challenge in Malta were presented by GWP-Med. "For GWP-Med that tries to mobilise the awareness of people and help governments with innovative approaches on the sustainable management of water, it is an honor to be part of the Alter Aqua Project; and Malta being on the lead of approaching NCWRs in a new and modern way, can pride itself of the very good results with rainwater harvesting and greywater recycling achieved all over the country in the framework of the Project”, Prof. Scoullos mentioned.
At MCAST, greywater collected from the wash-hand basins of the five-story building’s bathrooms is initially pumped through two new greywater pipes to the storage reservoir in the basement. It is then pumped through a polyethylene pipe to the three tanks placed on the building’s roof, where it is treated, and then stored for irrigation of the building’s green roof. The latter consists of plant trays with species adapted to local climate conditions, irrigated with treated greywater through a controlled irrigation system. With a green roof’s irrigation by recycled greywater being implemented for the first time in Malta, Alter Aqua showcased a significant pilot application that will help assess the greywater recycling potential for green roof irrigation, advance of the NCWR utilization in the Maltese islands and expand green roofs, with a significant changing effect on the microclimate. “For GWP-Med, the application at MCAST is an important, combining demonstration project that will save energy and costs in the building, and reduce water consumption. We are grateful to our Maltese partners, who with the emphasis they are putting on this project, help such innovative, green economy practices spread further", Prof. Scoullos concluded.
The application at MCAST is part of the 2nd Alter Aqua phase (2014-2015), along with the reinstatement of the historic 1,600 m3 capacity rainwater harvesting reservoir at the premises of the Ministry for Gozo, where the collected runoff rainwater is used for landscaping irrigation and new forestation projects. The two green infrastructure interventions followed the installation or reinstatement, during Alter Aqua’s 1st phase (2011-2013), of 10 Rainwater Harvesting Systems in public school buildings, a Greywater Recycling System at the Gozo Football Stadium and a Stormwater retention application at the Ramla Valley in Gozo Island. For Alter Aqua, instilling the values of sustainable water management to the next generation through the Alter Aqua educational activities, is essential to better preserve and enhance the Maltese islands’ scarce water resources: 6,640 students have participated in hands-on educational activities for sustainable development in schools, while 525 teachers have been trained and provided with the Alter Aqua Educational Material, for which the Programme received a STENCIL Award for the most innovative science related educational resources in Europe in 2013. Last, but not least, Alter Aqua supports the Ministry for Gozo’s Sustainable Development Action Plan, as implemented in the framework of the ecoGozo project, and contributes to the development of the National Water Management Plan for the Maltese Islands.