Water plant shutdown hits consumers in 24 localities

Wednesday's power cut forced the closure of the all-important Pembroke reverse osmosis plant, leaving thousands of empty domestic water tanks and frustrated consumers across a third of the island yesterday.

The plant got its power back at 1 a.m. yesterday, and the Water Services Corporation was expecting it to be working at three-quarters capacity by last night.

However, a spokesman for the corporation said some localities may not have any water before tomorrow.

In a statement, the WSC appealed to consumers to conserve their tank water stocks as it could not guarantee a regular service for the time being.

No fewer than 24 localities around the densely populated central harbour area, including Sliema, Valletta and St Julian's, were left waterless on Wednesday after the electricity supply failed.

The power cut was caused by damage to a principal 33kV cable, which runs underground from the Marsa power station to the Paceville distribution centre.

By Wednesday evening the cable had started working "somewhat normally", though the fault has still not been located, Enemalta chairman Robert Ghirlando said.

Enemalta employees have been working round the clock in an attempt to localise the fault and find out how it developed. However, the tests were unsuccessful, Enemalta said.

"All precautions were taken since there was a risk that the test could lead to some tripping at Marsa power station. The authorities at St Luke's Hospital were advised about this risk, but the test did not cause any interruptions."

In some areas the water situation was so desperate that Enemalta was at one point contemplating cutting off the domestic power supply to certain areas in order to provide enough power to the reverse osmosis plant. This option was however shelved, Prof. Ghirlando said.

The chairman said that modern instruments were used to try and locate the problem. Yet the fact that it was an intermittent fault made it extremely difficult to locate.

Prof. Ghirlando could not give any guarantees that the power cut would not recur. "I just hope that if there is a cut, it will be clear enough for us to locate it."

A WSC spokesman said that four of the plant's 12 trains were in operation by 10 a.m. yesterday. Yet at one point they had to be temporarily switched off following an order given by Enemalta.

Asked whether it was feasible to install a generator to supply the plant, the WSC spokesman said this was impossible. One would practically need a power station on its own to guarantee continuous power to a plant of that size. The Pembroke plant is in fact the major consumer of the Delimara power station, the spokesman said.

The plant often takes over 24 hours before it becomes fully operational following a power cut. Those living in high apartments would be the worst hit.

The water cuts have been met with a chorus of disapproval, especially since it hit a densely populated region as well as a centre of the tourism industry.

Water bowsers were constantly in demand yesterday as residents sought ways to replenish their drained water tanks.

The Times was inundated with phone calls throughout the day from residents who aired their complaints and tried to obtain information about the possibility of water being restored.

Many said they had been unable to get through to the WSC on customer service number 157.

"Do I have to call the minister to get some information?" one angry Sliema woman complained.

"I have three students and my water tanks are running dry. How am I going to explain to them that they can't have a shower tonight?" another asked.

Most of the complaints emanated from the Sliema area, especially since the bulk of the foreign language students are located there.

A spokesman for one of the main English language schools said the water cuts had caused a major headache, both at the schools and with the host families.

"It's difficult trying to explain to students that they cannot have a shower or use the toilets in these stifling temperatures," a director of one of the schools said.

Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association president Anthony Chircop said the water cuts had dealt a blow to several hotels in the Sliema area.

Many of them had no choice but to call for a bowser - a costly and scarce service since very few bowsers have the capacity to reach the tanks of high rise buildings, he explained.

Mr Chircop said hotels could simply not afford to be left without water for another day.

"I appreciate that accidents do happen, but this is very sad and untimely, especially when one considers the investment put in."

Whereas in the past, water shortages were the norm, and hotels were fully equipped with reserve stocks, the situation had in recent years improved. So any water cuts were catching hotels "on the wrong foot", he said.

"So tourists will now go back home with a sour experience and will say that Malta lacks a basic commodity - even if this is the exception and not the rule," Mr Chircop said.

Economic Services Minister Josef Bonnici could not be reached for comment as he is presently abroad.

Two weeks ago the whole of Malta and Gozo experienced four hours without electricity when a transformer at the Marsa station tripped due to high temperatures, leading to a shutdown of both power stations.