Safe water in Malta: notices, drought and what to store

Short answer. Malta has one water utility, the Water Services Corporation (WSC), responsible for the whole drinking-water cycle in the Maltese Islands ¹. Its website (archived on 3 September 2026) offers free SMS alerts on supply interruptions and a 24/7 freephone, 8007 6400 ¹. In 2022, 64% of the tap water came from seawater desalination ². Phaenyx found no official Maltese figure for how much water to store.

How do I know if my tap water is unsafe?

The WSC describes itself as "responsible for the complete drinking and waste water cycle in the Maltese Islands" ¹, so warnings about your supply come from one source. On its website, as archived on 3 September 2026, it offers ¹:

• a free SMS alert service "to receive notifications about any water service interruption";
• a customer care centre on freephone 8007 6400, open 24/7;
• emergency pages, including "Got No Water?" and "Low Water Pressure", and a live map.

Phaenyx found no public register of boil-water or do-not-drink notices for Malta. If you are ever told not to drink the tap water, read What to do during a boil-water notice and Do-not-drink notices. The Regulator for Energy and Water Services (REWS) oversees service quality and licensing, including licences to supply water by tanker ³.

How much water should I store?

Until an official figure is published, use How much water to store per person per day? and Water storage containers. Phaenyx found no official Maltese recommendation on household water storage; see our Malta emergency supplies page for what is known about the national household manual.

Is Malta short of water?

Yes, structurally. In WRI's Aqueduct 4.0 model, the population-weighted median of Maltese cities falls in the "extremely high" category for current water stress, stays "extremely high" in the 2050 business-as-usual projection, and is "medium" for drought risk ⁴. These are city medians: a given locality can sit higher or lower.

Groundwater alone cannot meet demand. In 2022 the WSC produced 35.5 million cubic metres of drinking water: about 36% from groundwater and 64% from its four reverse-osmosis plants at Pembroke, Cirkewwa, Ghar Lapsi and Hondoq (Gozo) ². The blend is stored in 24 reservoirs with a total capacity of 400,000 cubic metres ². In practice, most of your tap water depends on desalination plants running.

Phaenyx found no official Maltese page on drought restrictions for households. For practical steps, see Drought preparedness and No running water.

What if I use a private borehole?

For what to do if a well may be contaminated, use Private well emergencies. Phaenyx found no official Maltese guidance for households on testing a private borehole. REWS regulates the registration of drilling rigs ³.

What should I do after a flood?

Follow any WSC instruction before drinking tap water ¹, and see Water safety after a flood and Water purification. A household plan can keep your water stock and the WSC freephone in one place.

Frequently asked questions

Who supplies tap water in Malta?

The Water Services Corporation, for the whole of the Maltese Islands ¹.

How do I get water outage alerts?

Subscribe to the WSC's free SMS alert service on its website (as archived on 3 September 2026) ¹.

Where does Malta's tap water come from?

In 2022, 64% came from reverse-osmosis desalination and about 36% from groundwater ².

What number do I call if I have no water?

The WSC freephone, 8007 6400, available 24/7 according to its website as archived on 3 September 2026 ¹.