 Who would have thought that nuclear science could help solve an issue which has been a problem in water for thousands of years? Drought has been an issue on the small island of Malta since the Stone Age. No one knows for sure why the famous temple builders of 8,000 years ago left the island. But one likely theory is a lack of water, because Malta has always lacked fresh water. In fact, it's in the top 10 most water-stressed countries in the world. It has no major rivers or lakes, so all water supplies come from deep underground and are fed only by rainwater. These supplies are constantly threatened by overuse and the intrusion of seawater. Ground water in Malta exists in a very delicate balance between what is coming down, so what is in terms of recharge, and what is being lost. Understanding how much water is actually infiltrating and recharging our aquifers and what is being abstracted and controlling this balance is a very big challenge, especially with so many people. In terms of water management, we are many people on a very small rock. This issue is only getting worse due to climate change, as seas rise and rainfall patterns shift. Whenever we meet farmers and we tell them we work with the water agency, this is the first thing they tell us. They speak about climate patterns changing, which is impacting their daily work. To address this issue, the Maltese water authorities have turned to nuclear physics. Isotope hydrology is a branch of science that is used to track water by measuring the unique atomic fingerprints of different water samples. This will help the experts learn how long it takes for contaminants to seep in to groundwater reserves, where seawater is making the reserves undrinkable, and how quickly these reserves are being used up and refilled. With the support of the IAEA and other international bodies, the Maltese water experts are measuring water from different spots across the islands. Through the project to the IAEA, looking at understanding the concentration of noble gases in groundwater, the big question is how long does groundwater take to penetrate through our rock and remain within the system? The IAEA has been gathering water samples from around the world for 60 years and helps countries use this data to get a full picture of their local water systems. This insight can then drive policies on water use, agriculture, the location of industries and housing developments and more.