Wednesday, 11th November 2009 - 15:43CET
Update 2: Blood in Albertown
Internal investigation being held
Filming: Mark Zammit Cordina, Editing: Paul Spiteri Lucas
(Adds WSC' and ministry statements)
An extensive amount of blood seeping out of the slaughterhouse in Marsa has led the council to take up the issue with the media in hope that it would be tackled.
Mayor Francis Debono asked where were the health and environment authorities and how come no one seemed to be responsible for what was happening.
He warned that should this situation be repeated, the council would take all steps according to law to safeguard the health and quality of life of its residents, as well as workers in Albertown.
WSC'S REACTION
The Water Services Corporation referred to the seepage as a "sewage system overflow", which, it said, was caused by a blockage due to illegal dumping of materials in the drainage system.
It said its workers were on site as soon as they were alerted at 11:10 a.m. and at 3 p.m. were still underway to clear the sewer system. The area was to be washed and disinfected upon completion of works.
The WSC appealed to the public not to dump unauthorised materials such as oils, fats, rags, and straw into the sewer system. The public was also encouraged to report abuse.
MINISTRY'S REACTION
An internal investigation is being held at the slaughterhouse to establish was led to the blocking of the sewage system.
The Rural Affairs Ministry said that during works at Marsa this morning, an overflow was reported from the drainage pit between Troubridge and il-Biccerija streets. The overflow included a liquid which originated from the slaughterhouse. The WSC was informed and workers were on site within minutes to remove material that was blocking the drainage system.
Immediate action was taken to reduce the volume of water going through the system and the roads were washed.
The ministry said that the problem was caused by waste thrown in the system illegally.
But the slaughterhouse filtered water to ensure that no solid waste ended in the system. Solid waste from the slaughterhouse was taken to the incinerator but the water used for the washing of the plant went into the drainage system.
So an internal investigation was being carried out with the help of WSC technical staff to establish the facts.
The slaughterhouse apologised for the inconvenience caused, the ministry said.
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Comments
As to how it came to be, we're not talking about 10 year olds, we're talking about adults.
I'm sure that however simple common people may be, they would understand how the meat they eat came to be, instead of simply appearing on their plate magically.
Besides, why do we have to change what nature/God made us? It is in the human body to eat meat (of course there are exceptions, with all due respect).
Back to the topic, draining blood (or anything else) in the human waste drainage system is simply bad. If it is legal, it should be brought down. The drainage system is simply not meant for this.
Having blood mixed with fecal matter only produces "activated" sludge, a very harmfull combination of biological agents with a huge array of deseases.
you eat meat because you don't actually bother to think how it actually ends up on your plates. how can people proclaim to love cats and dogs but then feel free to harm such animals, this is pure hypocrisy!
Mind you, this is not the only place which is filthy. I am fed up of hearing the authorities say "Littering has to stop".
We haven 't even started yet. But it is not prohibited to dream, of course.
From the beginning carnivores killed their prey for meat, this is how God made them! It is not murder!...it is called the FOOD CHAIN!
What is sick and selfish is the killing (or torture) of animals for sport, fun or entertainment. That is what must be eliminated. A healthy diet is having average amounts of meat, vegetables and fruit.
However, the point to make here is that this illegal dumping in the sewage system, in our roads and country side must stop. The authorities need to come down like a ton of bricks for anyone caught dumping illegally. Maybe we can finally respect our environment and make it a better place for our children!
When demanding that Veggies RESPECT your decision to
-intensively breed animals,
-overfeeding them with at best greater amounts of fodder or worse chemicals,
- further degregate the environment - deforrestation & water scarcity
- and slaughter them just to satisfy your taste buds....
I trust you should FIRST start by asking the sentinent beings involved to "respect" your decision.
I for myself love nothing more than fried rabbit or lamb baked with potatoes, ok when they are alive they are quite cute and adorable. but ALAS that is the food chain and if I'm not eating them someone else will definitely do, so i prefer to, yes, indulge my taste buds with the taste of that tender meat.
If I were to think in the same way you do, I would definitely not touch veggies because it's not pleasant to pull a living organism from it's roots or pull it from it's branch just so that I could enjoy my salad !!!!!
RESPECT meat eaters the same way they respect you vegetarians !!
From where did you get your facts? You should be teaching home economics in our schools.
Just for your info. I am a vegetarian athlete, and I can assure you that I am not living a boring life. I get bored when I start thinking what the animals go through just to satisfy your 'needs'.
And, Suzanne Mills - accidents happen anywhere including the country you come from. If visiting, I hardly doubt you spend much time around the slaughterhouse, anyway! Thank God it is not a radioactive leak, a terrorist attack or a bank meltdown such as what happened in many countries one of which, I suspect, was yours and very rapidly racing towards third world country status! Why you readily noticed and took the trouble to write about a relatively minor problem but not become aware of the many improvements in the last five years (during your absence) is beyond me.
@ vegetarians/vegans: I have no shame in eating meat and eating meat is what I will continue to do..
Spying by the general public! is that that the authorities know how to best tackle abuses.
Are we becoming a population of spies. There is surely a better way than ask amateurs spies to report neighbours
Veru tal-misthija; issa hafna nkjesti us-soltu xenati u jibqa kollox l-istess.
Evviva l-Ewropa!
J Borg: I agree with you that filming should take place inside the slaughterhouse, but i don't have your intention. The idea is to ensure that all animals there are slaughtered with due dignity.
We are losing every iota of dignity in this country!
Let's hope that whoever was responsible will be punished accordingly.
The constant building "programme" adds to the strain on utilities that are not originally designed to take such extra loads; this is especially relevant when the weather over the last 48 hours has delivered even more strain despite the fact that rainwater is not actually meant to be diverted into the domestic sewage system.
When authorising more and more floors to be added to existing buildings as well as high rise buildings, the authorities really must take into account not just parking in the immediate area but also the extra strain on both roads, water and electricity supply and in this case, sewage disposal for the whole area right through to the sewage farm(s).
One should not be glad to wash his dirty linen in blood, sorry in public.
Such pun is not for fun!!
If we need to our bread 2 earn
We have lots to learn to avoid going to infern!!
People blaming the government for this should really get a life.
And Suzanna, your comment is pointless, cos you re imagining that this is happening in every street, of every town, every day!
If everyone reads carefully, without jumping to silly conclusions, everyone can see that the WSC took immediate action.
Now what happens INSIDE the slaughterhouse is a different topic, and far more interesting than this.
All bloggers get a life and try to be objective if you're able to.......if despite the effort you still don't manage, at least try to be more creative in lambasting the government. You've become so predictable!
A report statement needs to be issued by the health dept for answers and questions to the public
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20091028/local/strategy-on-landfills-is-five-years-late
A little reminder of a recent article on this very same news paper.
Send this horrible image to Brussels, please
Wow what alot of conclusions derived from one incident and one photo..... British aren't you ms Mills? Bdw if you want to see a third world country.................check out Merseyside, Burnley, Glasgow..............
a Maltese Auschuitz and Belsen for animals.............
Even medical science now acknowledges that the way to health is five portions of fruit and veg.............
Eating death will only lead to disease and death.
And by the way, the meat industry is one of the biggest contributors to Global Warming, as any decent internet search will reveal........by killing animals for food we are also killing ourselves and our planet.
We can then evaluate what actually happens in there and rethink whether we really want to bite into the steak/ham that is the cow/pig.....
and then to really top it up.......a visit at the respective "farms"
SHAME,SHAME ON THE AUTHORITIES. My sympathies to the people of MARSA.