Dangerous construction works

Still fresh in our minds is the tragedy that occurred recently when two persons died in St Paul's Bay because the house they were in did not withstand the excavations carried out at an adjacent plot. In Malta everyone says that no one takes action until similar tragedies occur; however, this is not the case under such circumstances.

I am writing this because at the moment I am passing through a nightmare. I am living in an apartment in a block of flats in Qawra. Unfortunately, our block has no foundations and is built on a ground made from soft clay, mud and other soft material.

The owner of the adjacent block started to excavate three storeys leaving two feet of ground in between. Incredible but true it transpires that Mepa does not distinguish whether the excavations are of solid rock or of the type of clayish ground as is the case in Bugibba. Furthermore, it does not carry out any surveys on the type of ground. Before issuing the permit Mepa did not even ask the owner to insure the adjacent property or to provide solutions to reinforce the building. My architect has advised me that our building will be left with no lateral reinforcement and thus the excavation will have an adverse effect on the structural stability of our existing block of flats.

At the moment my wife is expecting our first child and hardly gets out of home. All the time I am worried that something might happen. I have just one income as my wife does not work and thus I cannot afford renting accommodation elsewhere.

Originally the owner of the plot offered me alternative accommodation himself, acknowledging the risks my family and I were facing but then said that his lawyer had advised him not to do so.

I have contacted Mepa to seek answers but it seems no one is in a position to provide any. I have also contacted the Qawra police station who were very polite and helpful but they told me the law does not provide them with any means to take any action to safeguard first and foremost my family and eventually my property. I also tried to contact other authorities regarding the safety issue but all of them told me it is not their area of responsibility.

I would accept that such a situation exists in a Third World county or in a jungle but not in a country that has just joined the European Union. It seems that in Malta the theory of the survival of the fittest is the order of the day. I would appreciate if the minister responsible for Mepa gives me a clear answer to my questions hopefully while I'm still alive.