Third season of dry weather fuels Malta's desertification

They may be called Chadwick Lakes, but that part of Qlejgħa Valley in the limits of Rabat and Mtarfa remains dry, almost a month after winter started. Though there has been some rain, the ‘wet season’ has so far been rather dry, with just 237.2mm of rainfall recorded since September. Though, according to the weather man, this is comparable to last year, recent months have been notably drier. The rain measured last month was a third of the norm, raising concerns among farmers but also adding weight to fears about desertification as dry weather persists year after year. Environmentalist Alan Deidun noted in The Sunday Times of Malta this was the third consecutive dry year. The situation may have serious implications for the island’s natural, wild flora and fauna, as well as on agriculture, he warned. Rainfall last month was just 35.3mm, or 30 per cent of the average for December since the 1930s. It is not only a water shortage that Chadwick Lakes is facing but also littering. Environmentalist Alfred Baldacchino said that that while Chadwick Lakes being full of water or not depended on nature, the upkeep of the area evidently demanded better management. Mr Baldacchino said that it...