A maintenance worker monitors water levels at the Ta' Kandja Underground Galleries, operated by Malta's Water Services Corporation, outside Siggiewi, Malta May 17, 2018. Picture taken May 17, 2018. REUTERS/Darrin Zammit Lupi
SIGGIEWI, Malta (Reuters) - Deep below the ground, away from the bustle of daily Maltese island life, a haunting silence fills the Ta' Kandja water caves. Once in a while, the quiet is interrupted by a worker wading through the water or the release of a dam.
A rare glimpse into the Ta' Kandja pumping station shows the complex network of galleries that make up Malta's largest groundwater facility, operated by the country's Water Services Corporation (WSC).
Dating from the 1960s, it is today is "virtually automated", with only periodic inspections needed, according to WSC spokesman Stephen Zerafa
Brine water from the Ghar Lapsi reverse osmosis plant, operated by Malta's Water Services Corporation, flows down to the sea facing the island of Filfla, outside Siggiewi, Malta May 22, 2018. REUTERS/Darrin Zammit Lupi
To supply the local population, WSC relies on groundwater sources as well as reverse osmosis plants, which turn seawater into drinkable water.
Around 40 percent of Malta's water supply comes from underground sources, of which 12 percent is from Ta' Kandja, Zerafa said.
An engineer walks near membranes in which water is purified at the Pembroke reverse osmosis plant in Pembroke, Malta May 28, 2018. Picture taken May 28, 2018. REUTERS/Darrin Zammit Lupi
(Reporting by Darrin Zammit Lupi; Editing by Alison Williams)
A technician looks at a panel in the control room at the Pembroke reverse osmosis plant in Pembroke, Malta May 28, 2018. REUTERS/Darrin Zammit LupiAn engineer climbs up from the cartridge filter hold where suspended material is filtered out of water before purification at the Pembroke reverse osmosis plant in Pembroke, Malta May 28, 2018. REUTERS/Darrin Zammit LupiMaintenance workers step out of an elevator in the Ta' Kandja Underground Galleries, operated by Malta's Water Services Corporation, outside Siggiewi, Malta May 17, 2018. REUTERS/Darrin Zammit LupiA maintenance worker monitors water levels at the Ta' Kandja Underground Galleries, operated by Malta's Water Services Corporation, outside Siggiewi, Malta May 17, 2018. REUTERS/Darrin Zammit LupiA maintenance worker opens a dam at the Ta' Kandja Underground Galleries, operated by Malta's Water Services Corporation, outside Siggiewi, Malta May 17, 2018. REUTERS/Darrin Zammit LupiA maintenance worker rides in an elevator down to the Ta' Kandja Underground Galleries, operated by Malta's Water Services Corporation, outside Siggiewi, Malta May 17, 2018. REUTERS/Darrin Zammit LupiMaintenance workers wade through a tunnel at the Ta' Kandja Underground Galleries, operated by Malta's Water Services Corporation, outside Siggiewi, Malta May 17, 2018. REUTERS/Darrin Zammit LupiA maintenance worker takes a groundwater sample for analysis at the Ta' Kandja Underground Galleries, operated by Malta's Water Services Corporation, outside Siggiewi, Malta May 17, 2018. REUTERS/Darrin Zammit LupiMaintenance workers wade through a tunnel at the Ta' Kandja Underground Galleries, operated by Malta's Water Services Corporation, outside Siggiewi, Malta May 17, 2018. REUTERS/Darrin Zammit LupiMaintenance workers wade through a tunnel near a 'Heart of Jesus' statue at the Ta' Kandja Underground Galleries, operated by Malta's Water Services Corporation, outside Siggiewi, Malta May 17, 2018. REUTERS/Darrin Zammit LupiMaintenance workers wade through a tunnel at the Ta' Kandja Underground Galleries, operated by Malta's Water Services Corporation, outside Siggiewi, Malta May 17, 2018. REUTERS/Darrin Zammit LupiGroundwater is seen at the Ta' Kandja Underground Galleries, operated by Malta's Water Services Corporation, outside Siggiewi, Malta May 17, 2018. REUTERS/Darrin Zammit LupiMaintenance workers wade through a tunnel near a 'Heart of Jesus' statue at the Ta' Kandja Underground Galleries, operated by Malta's Water Services Corporation, outside Siggiewi, Malta May 17, 2018. REUTERS/Darrin Zammit Lupi
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