Welcome to Qormi ‘cesspool’ street

Residents in Sqaq l-Għadira, Qormi, are complaining that their street has more in common with a cesspool than the ‘pond’ it is named after.

The street, located close to the Qormi valley, is divided into a rough, potholed surface on one side, and an asphalted layer on the other. Residents said the manhole cover at the end of the street comes loose every time it rains, spewing sewage into the street.

Resident Raymond Mula said: “The drainage system is always blocked, with water flooding into our homes when it rains. We also have a problem with rats – they’re as big as cats!”

Mr Mula does the bread rounds with his van, but claims his tyres are often punctured as a result of the potholes.

Residents said the problem has been going on for a decade or so, but the state of the road has never been worse – while Mr Mula pointed to a spot on the rough terrain where he has tried to patch things up.

“I spoke to the mayor, who told us that responsibility lay with the government. I don’t know who’s responsible. We can’t go on like this.”

The Qormi council said Sqaq l-Għadira was one of the residential streets still to be attended to by the government.

The council said it had voiced residents’ complaints on the flooding problem which occurred every time it rains.

When contacted, a Water Services Corporation spokesman said there were “long-term plans” to improve the sewage system in the area.

The problem, the spokesman insisted, was not purely down to the sewage system, however. He said no sewer system is designed to take the enormous amount of rainwater that pours in from illegally connected roofs and yards.

“Coupled with this, we are always faced with the problem of the disposal of materials that clog up the system, such as oils, fats, rags and stones.”

The spokesman said that after the first heavy rains of the season, the WSC inspected part of the sewer further downstream and removed some abnormal waste that was contributing to the problem.

“We plan to check the sewer and the water gallery, but cleaning the gallery is not a one-minute job. It can only be done at night because this sewer receives a massive amount of water during the day.”