Residents in parts of Pembroke were up in arms yesterday as they approached two entire days without a water supply.
What started off as regular maintenance around Triq il-Fortizza has dragged out into a long, 48-hour drought, prompting residents who spoke to Times of Malta to ask whether there would be any compensation for them.
“I’m stinking, my kids are stinking and the house is stinking because we have not flushed or washed in two days. The government should send us all to a hotel,” one irate resident said with a dose of sarcasm.
He was referring to the compensation promised to those who had spent more than 12 hours without electricity following the August 12 nationwide blackout.
Ironically, Pembroke hosts one of the reverse osmosis plants that purifies seawater and turns it into potable water.
“This is absolutely ridiculous. I cannot believe we have been without water for so long in this day and age,” another resident said.
No information was forthcoming from a Water Services Corporation spokesman, who at first said there were no problems in Pembroke. Even after a list of street names was supplied, no explanation was received by the time of writing.
According to the WSC website, parts of Pembroke could have experienced low pressure or a complete water cut between 8am and 4pm on Wednesday.
But residents said that even 24 hours later, their taps were still dry.
Several calls to the WSC freephone number left them with more questions than answers.
The WSC said that it was carrying out maintenance works in the area of Triq il-Fortizza but this also affected the supply in several neighbouring streets including Triq Gabriel Henin, Triq Pietro Darmenia, Triq Dun Amabile Sisler and Triq Michelanġ Grima.
The expected duration of the water cut kept changing on the website and the last update yesterday evening promised the supply would be restored by this morning.
The corporation sent a solitary bowser to fill up people’s tanks but it could not keep up with the demand. And those fortunate enough to get their tank replenished found the water supplied would not go very far.