Xlendi bay still closed

The idyllic Xlendi bay is still closed two days after sewage overflowed into the sea as the health authorities are waiting for the results of the contamination tests.

The bay was declared unfit for swimming after a contractor working on Xlendi Road hit and broke a main drainage pipe which caused untreated drainage to flow down into the sea on Monday.

The health risks of swimming in water which may be contaminated with sewage are ear, eye and skin infections and, if swallowed, gastroenteritis.

Tests on samples of seawater taken late on Monday evening revealed the inner part of the bay was contaminated, a Gozo Ministry spokesman confirmed. Samples were collected on Tuesday morning and are being tested for microbiological analysis.

“Seeing that these are microbiological samples they need to be incubated and the final results will be available after 48 hours. Samples have also been collected this morning (Wednesday) and sent to the laboratory,” the Health Ministry spokesman said.

The tests would be carried out on a daily basis until the results confirm that water was safe, the spokesman added.

However, when asked the Gozo Ministry failed to say if it would be taking any action against the contractor.

Even though the outflow was stemmed after a few hours, the damage was already done, according to an entrepreneur from Xlendi who runs an accommodation business.

“It’s bad enough that the roadworks are done in summer which is the peak tourist season. This is what happens when works are done on the main road – last month we had an 18-hour power cut and now the sewage pipe was damaged,” he said.

The works had been promised since 2004 but only started in June so that EU funds would be used before October, which was the deadline, he observed.

Tourists and residents were hit by the overpowering stench of sewage until government workers cleaned the road with soap and disinfectant.

Another operator said his business was negatively affected as tourists were not going to stay in Xlendi if they could not swim in the bay. “They understood it was an accident after we explained what happened but we were still affected,” he said.

The incident was also condemned by Labour tourism spokes­man Marie-Louise Coleiro-Preca who criticised the government’s decision to start works on Xlendi’s main road in summer.

Not only were businesses and tourism affected by the works but, even worse, the sewage had flowed everywhere, she said.

The Gozo Ministry defended itself by saying it was an accident and pointed out that there was a coordinated effort by various government employees to stop and clean up the spill.

The reconstruction of Xlendi road was delayed by a number of appeals, the ministry added.