Work on a major flood relief project for several areas of Malta will be taken in hand in the coming weeks, starting with a phase affecting Zebbug, Resources Minister George Pullicino said.

The Zebbug phase will consist of a 1.6 kilometre-long tunnel which will discharge water at Wied Qirda.

The entire project will also see another three tunnels dug.

The longest tunnel will be that from the Balzan/Attard area passing through Birkirkara to Ta Xbiex, where water will be discharged into the sea. This tunnel will be 11 kilometres long.

Another tunnel will be dug under Gzira to discharge water from the San Gwann area into the sea at Ta' Xbiex.

The third tunnel, which will be 2.8km long, will carry water from Zabbar and Marsascala to be discharged in the sea off Ghar Id-Duhhan.

Mr Pullicino said that the EU is considering funding up to 85% of the €55 million project, which has to be concluded by 2015 under EU funding rules.

A total 700,000 cubic metres of water annually will be pumped from the tunnels system to the reservoirs used to date and others, which will be built for the purpose. That will be more than twice the amount of water currently collected in government reservoirs.

All the required permits for the project, which will be one of the largest to be funded by the EU in Malta, have been approved.

Asked about the fact that a lot of water is to be discharged into the sea, the minister said studies showed that this was the most cost effective solution.