Ensure that designated groundwater bodies have a good chemical and quantitative status
Strategic Goal 1: Transitioning Towards a Climate-Neutral Green & Blue Economy
Total number of groundwater bodies having a good chemical and quantitative status
| Category | Number of Groundwater Bodies | Target |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 1 | — |
| 2030 | — | 15 |
Groundwater status is defined according to two main considerations: Quantitative Status, where good status entails that the mean annual abstraction is less than the mean annual recharge (replenishment), and Chemical (Qualitative) Status, where good status entails that the quality of groundwater is lower than established quality standards and threshold values. Assessments leading to the drafting of the 3rd River Basin Management Plan, and based on direct data collated through the groundwater (quantity and quality) monitoring networks managed by the Energy and Water Agency confirm that the two main groundwater bodies, namely the Malta and Gozo Mean Sea Level Aquifer systems are in poor quantitative status (being over-abstracted), and that fourteen groundwater bodies are classified in poor chemical status, with the main failing parameter being Nitrate – primarily derived from agricultural sources.
Source: Environment and Resources Authority (ERA)
Last Updated: February 3, 2026
Total number of groundwater bodies having a quantitative status
| Category | Number of Groundwater Bodies | Target |
|---|---|---|
| 13 | — | |
| — | 15 |
Groundwater status is defined according to two main considerations: Quantitative Status, where good status entails that the mean annual abstraction is less than the mean annual recharge (replenishment), and Chemical (Qualitative) Status, where good status entails that the quality of groundwater is lower than established quality standards and threshold values. Assessments leading to the drafting of the 3rd River Basin Management Plan, and based on direct data collated through the groundwater (quantity and quality) monitoring networks managed by the Energy and Water Agency confirm that the two main groundwater bodies, namely the Malta and Gozo Mean Sea Level Aquifer systems are in poor quantitative status (being over-abstracted), and that fourteen groundwater bodies are classified in poor chemical status, with the main failing parameter being Nitrate – primarily derived from agricultural sources.
Source: Environment and Resources Authority (ERA)
Last Updated: February 3, 2026