The contractor working on the embellishment of the Dock One area in Cospicua dumped construction waste into Dockyard Creek with the pollution extending all the way to the Vittoriosa marina.
A spokesman for the Grand Harbour Regeneration Corporation, a government company entrusted with the project, admitted that the mud spill was caused by the contractor.
“Unfortunately, exactly after rainfall the contractor began to dispose of rain water from an area where they were casting foundations in order to resume works,” the spokesman said, adding the action was immediately stopped by the project management team.
The contractor apologised for his actions and informed the corporation he would not resort to such action in the future, the spokesman added.
The incident is being investigated by the planning authority’s Enforcement Directorate after The Times passed on an aerial photo showing the extent of the spill.
But the extensive works to transform the area into a promenade have caused a muddy mess, especially in the square where the St George’s band club is situated.
A bus stop that is regularly used by commuters is proving to be a veritable assault course for residents, who have to navigate the uneven ground and mud as they get on or off the bus.
Cospicua mayor Joseph Scerri said the inconvenience caused by the works was “a normal thing” for residents and urged the authorities to take measures to alleviate the difficulties.
“They should at least finish the road because it is a danger for motorists and pedestrians, especially when it rains,” he said.
Mr Scerri said the locality’s regatta club was also experiencing great difficulty during training ahead of the March 31 races because the slipway was temporarily removed.
The corporation spokesman apologised for the inconvenience caused by the mud but said this was an “obvious” problem during project construction and would end only when the project was completed.
The project is expected to be finished by April.
The development, expected to cost €7.5 million with the EU covering 85 per cent of the expenditure, will see the whole stretch of Xatt ir-Risq, as the area is known, from Vittoriosa to Cospicua being transformed into an open area for residents.
The two Cospicua squares that abut onto the promenade will become pedestrian-priority areas and traffic calming measures will be introduced to allow pedestrians free access to the promenade.
The warehouses, some parts of which date back to the period of the Knights, will be rehabilitated.
Dock One used to belong to Malta Shipyards before the area was passed on to the government in the mid-1990s. But years passed as plans for the zone kept changing until a final decision was taken just after the last election to turn it into a promenade.
Cospicua residents alighting from a bus and trying to navigate the muddy ground in the square in front of the St George’s band club. Photo: Chris Sant Fournier