Eighty per cent of Malta’s sewage is being discharged directly into the sea as the largest wastewater treatment plant on the island is under maintenance, according to the Water Services Corporation.
A corporation spokesman blamed the dumping of waste from animal farms for the clogging of the wastewater plant at Ta’ Barkat, in Xgħajra.
No deadline was given for when the plant would be operational again.
The spokesman was replying to questions sent by this newspaper following complaints that raw sewage was being discharged off the Xgħajra coast.
On Monday, Times of Malta witnessed seagulls flying over a yellowish patch of seawater, the spot where the plant’s discharge outlet is located, about 100 metres from the shore.
Unfortunately, the scene of seagulls feasting on the untreated sewage has once again become a regular occurrence in this area
Residents who spoke with this newspaper and insisted on anonymity lamented that the plant had not been functioning properly for quite some time. “Unfortunately, the scene of seagulls feasting on the untreated sewage has again become a regular occurrence in this area,” one resident noted.
For decades, all the country’s untreated sewage was discharged directly into the sea at Xgħajra. Apart from making a large stretch of coast unfit for swimming, the murky waters were usually the source of foul smells and posed a health hazard.
The situation persisted until 2011, when the €60 million EU-funded Ta’ Barkat plant was inaugurated and sewage started to be treated before being discharged.
The WSC spokesman acknowledged that the wastewater plant was “out of operation” due to cleansing works on the inlet pumping station.
He pointed out that the works required lowering the water level in the sump.
“Significant accumulation of silt and farm waste in the sump result in frequent pump failures at Ta’ Barkat,” he said.
While the corporation urged the public and the farming community to refrain from dumping illegal discharge into the sewerage system, the reality is that Malta still lacks proper facilities to dispose of such waste.
This situation prevails in spite of a 2008 deadline which bound the government to provide such facilities in accordance with EU pre-accession conditions.
As a result, dairy, poultry and pig farms have no other option but to dispose of their waste illegally in the sewerage network or by dumping it on fields in order to boost yields. The Agricultural Waste Management Plan estimates that this practice is costing WSC some €4 million annually.
When asked about this, the Environment Ministry said the island’s north facility was always intended to cater for the treatment of about 40,000 tonnes of cow and poultry manure.
But apart from this, the management of animal waste streams was being studied on a national level to update the 2008 Agriculture Waste Management Plan.
This came in the light of developments in the agricultural sector over the years and also the prevailing realities.
An interministerial committee on farm waste has been set up to advise the government on the recommended policies to be adopted.
“It is important to bear in mind that cow manure has a value because it can be reused in agriculture under certain conditions for fertilisation.
“Technological developments have also made it possible to exploit such waste streams for the production of renewable energy,” a ministry spokeswoman said.