Balluta water nearly clean

The drainage problem at Balluta Bay in St Julians is close to being solved as sample tests show that the water quality has greatly improved, a court heard yesterday.

Health Department official Malcolm Vella Haber said that, while there was still room for improvement in the water quality, the situation had clearly improved a lot as the levels of contamination had dropped drastically.

"It is clear the problem is nearing its end," Mr Vella Haber said.

Mr Vella Haber was testifying before Magistrate Jacqueline Padovani in a case instituted last month by the Health Department against Water Services Corporation (WSC) chairman Michael Falzon.

The corporation is being accused of allowing a stoppage to occur in a main sewer that led to drainage seeping into the bay. The bay was closed to bathers on August 13 when drainage was noticed leaking into the sea. It was reopened on August 29 after tests showed it was safe again. But on September 4, the Health Department issued a fresh warning to bathers.

During the course of the case, both parties agreed that the main problem stemmed from a particular manhole especially after tests confirmed that the leakage originated from it.

The magistrate had appointed expert Valerio Schembri to examine the manhole and report on his findings, describing the situation as one of "high peril".

Last Friday, Mr Schembri explained how the problem was caused by a fault in an old main sewer that had been forgotten when a new sewage master plan for the area was drawn up in 1995. In his testimony yesterday, Mr Schembri said that since Friday's sitting, several inspections had been carried out, as directed by the court.

It had been determined that no private households were connected to the old main sewer. Consequently, after the necessary checks were carried out, the sewer was temporarily blocked.

Mr Schembri added that at about 2 p.m. (yesterday) concrete was to be poured into the old sewer to block it permanently.

The magistrate put off the case to October 12 and in the interval, the water in the bay is to be tested regularly. The new main sewer system is to be tested to ensure it is watertight.

Principal Health Inspectors John Attard Kingswell and Malcolm David Micallef are prosecuting.

Lawyer Guido Pace Spadaro is representing the WSC.