MAL056 - Ta' Ciantar
Description
Ta’ Ciantar is an artificially constructed reservoir, intended for irrigation and water storage, located in southern Malta within Ħaż-Żabbar. The reservoir is made of limestone blocks and covers an approximate area of 1,050m2. The site is not accessible to the public as it can only be accessed through privately-owned agricultural land. The reservoir is predominantly surrounded by agricultural land, thus it is likely that the reservoir is being used for irrigation. Culverts were present throughout agricultural fields, possibly indicating that the reservoir is filled with water runoff from another location. The site is not protected by any legislation.
Wetland data
Basic information
| Wetland location: | Inland |
| Wetland type: | Artificial |
| Wetland area: | 0.10 Ha |
| Hydrological interaction: | - |
| Water salinity: | Fresh (< 0.5 g/l) |
| Type of fresh water input: | Catchment area (precipitation) |
| Surface water runoff | Outflow controlled by pipeline |
| Open water area (%): | > 95 |
| Hydroperiod: | Permanent |
Geographic information
| Census district: | Southern Harbour |
| Island: | Malta |
| Local council: | Haz-Zabbar |
| Longitude: | 14.539360 East |
| Latitude: | 35.867340 North |
Biological significance
| Biological significance: | Low |
Ramsar wetland type
| Type | Coverage (%) |
| 6 -- Water storage areas; reservoirs/barrages/dams/impoundments (generally over 8 ha) |
Property status
| Private |
Ecosystem services
| Type of ecosystem service | Ecosystem service | Scale of Βenefit (%) | Importance |
| Provisioning services | Food | ||
| Provisioning services | Fresh water |
Activities on wetland
| Activity | Intensity |
| 020 = Resource conservation | High |
| 130 = Irrigation | High |
| 701 = water pollution | High |
Activities on catchment area
| Activity | Intensity |
| 100 = Cultivation | High |
| 110 = Use of pesticides | High |
| 120 = Fertilisation | High |
| 130 = Irrigation | High |
| 401 = continuous urbanisation | High |
| 701 = water pollution | High |
Impacts
| Impact | Intensity |
| EE- = Increase of economic potential | High |
| ES- = Increase in water supply | High |
| PF- = Fertilizer/Excess nutrient pollution | High |
| PP- = Pesticide pollution |