MAL066 - Tal-Pitkal
Description
Tal-Pitkal is an artificially constructed reservoir, intended for water storage, located in western Malta close to Dingli Cliffs. The reservoir is completely constructed out of cement and covers an approximate area of 1,080m2. The site is accessible through a dirt road. No pipelines were present within or around the reservoir, however, due to it being surrounded by active and inactive agricultural land it is likely to be used for irrigation of these fields. No vegetation was present within the basin or the site itself. This reservoir falls within an Area of Ecological Importance, an Area of High Landscape Value and a Special Area of Conservation – International Importance.
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 | Other |
| Open water area (%): | > 95 |
| Hydroperiod: | Permanent |
Geographic information
| Census district: | Western |
| Island: | Malta |
| Local council: | Had-Dingli |
| Longitude: | 14.375360 East |
| Latitude: | 35.857830 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 |
| Protection status category | Protection status subcategory | Area's name | Code | Coverage area (%) | Legislation |
| National | Area of Ecological Importance | Irdumijiet Ta' Madwar il-Kosta mic-Cirkewwa sa Benghisa | 174729 | 100 | Development Planning Act (Act VII of 2016) |
| National | Area of High Landscape Value | Diversi Rdumijiet | 555546316 | 100 | Development Planning Act (Act VII of 2016) |
| International | Special Areas of Conservation - International Importance | Rdumijiet ta' Malta | 330728 | 100 | Environment Protection Act (Act I of 2016) |
| International | Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas | Il-Kullana to ta' Gifen Cliffs | MT008 | 100 |
CDDA protection status
| CDDA code | CDDA category |
| MT01 | Area of Ecological Importance |
| MT15 | Area of High Landscape Value |
| MT11 | Special Areas of Conservation - International Importance |
Important bird areas
| IBA code | Site name | Coverage (%) | References |
| MT008 | Il-Kullana to ta' Gifen Cliffs | 100 |
Ecosystem services
| Type of ecosystem service | Ecosystem service | Scale of Βenefit (%) | Importance |
| Provisioning services | Food | ||
| Provisioning services | Fresh water | ||
| Cultural services | Recreation and tourism |
Activities on wetland
| Activity | Intensity |
| 020 = Resource conservation | High |
| 110 = Use of pesticides | High |
| 120 = Fertilisation | High |
| 130 = Irrigation | High |
| 230 = Hunting | Low |
| 701 = water pollution | High |
Activities on catchment area
| Activity | Intensity |
| 100 = Cultivation | Low |
| 110 = Use of pesticides | High |
| 120 = Fertilisation | High |
| 130 = Irrigation | High |
| 230 = Hunting | Medium |
| 390 = Mining and extraction activities not referred | Medium |
| 423 = disposal of inert materials | Low |
| 430 = Agricultural structures | Low |
| 502 = roads motorways | Low |
| 701 = water pollution | High |
Impacts
| Impact | Intensity |
| AS- = Loss of scenic value | High |
| EE- = Increase of economic potential | High |
| ES- = Increase in water supply | High |
| PF- = Fertilizer/Excess nutrient pollution | High |
| PP- = Pesticide pollution | Low |
Vegetation types
| Type | Coverage (%) |
| Other | < 5 |