Mater Dei flooding explained

The rainwater that flooded two sites at the new Mater Dei Hospital on Monday happened because works were still in hand, the Foundation For Medical Services said yesterday.

There was no damage to medical equipment and the opening date has not been affected, FMS said. The contractor will make good for any damage, it added.

FMS it explained that the problem occurred because the rainwater drains had not been checked because this was something that had to be done after all construction works were completed. In Block B, one such pipe was blocked by debris and this caused one of the thousands of joints to burst.

In another block, which will house the medical school, rainwater pipes were being changed from temporary to permanent ones and not all the pipes had been linked to underground storage tanks. This was the cause of the problem, here, the FMS said.