Reservoir vandalised

The water reservoir at the housing estate in Ta' Giorni and the area immediately below it are in a sorry state of neglect.

For years now the reservoir, the cover of which has always been intended as an area for family recreation, has repeatedly fallen victim to vandals who seem to enjoy destroying cement seats.

The climax came on the evening of November 11, when the complete top of a cement bench was thrown from the reservoir down onto the street below - certainly not the work of young children.

The cement slab was still there yesterday, a week later.

A spokesman for St Julians local council said a couple of men had been to see the slab after a report, but it could not be lifted because one of them had a backache. He did not elaborate on whether there were more workers available who could have done the job.

The reservoir itself is badly in need of a facelift. Pressure from nearby residents well before last summer led to the drawing up of a works order at the Public Works Department, but nothing has been done about it since.

Residents in the area below the reservoir are also at a loss to understand why their area has repeatedly been overlooked for the purpose of painting parking bays, at a time when the number of residents' cars is increasing and the problem of haphazard parking is becoming acute. Repeated requests to the mayor have gone unheeded.

Residents say they find it all more galling when one realises that parking bays have long been present in the area just above the reservoir - a mere few metres away.