The Water Services Corporation refers to the article entitled ‘Divers in Gozo seemingly still swimming in sewage’ (August 16). This highlighted an ongoing problem being encountered at our sewage treatment plant in Gozo, which is causing untreated sewage to be discharged into the sea.

The WSC’s three sewage treatment plants in Malta and Gozo are designed to treat normal domestic human waste.

Sewage treatment works by using naturally-occurring bacteria to biologically break down sewage and turn it into treated wastewater, which is clean enough to be discharged into the sea without causing any effects on the environment.

However, we are afflicted by periodic unauthorised influxes of waste from animal farms that causes both blockages (due to straw) as well as a huge biological overload with which our treatment plants cannot cope. When this happens the treatment process is short circuited and raw sewage is discharged.

The problem of animal waste in public sewers is being addressed by the Department of Agriculture, which is working on a permanent waste collection and disposal solution.

Incidentally, the article alleged that questions sent to the WSC on Monday, a public holiday, remained unanswered.

I can confirm that the WSC’s public relations office received no questions whatsoever on this matter.