About a month ago I phoned the Mosta council to enquire whether someone could be sent to clear up the rubbish and glass that has been dumped over the years and has accumulated at the entrance to the valley which leads onto the bypass behind the Technopark in Mosta.
I also commented that with all this dumped material in the valley, very soon, with the first heavy rains, the culverts would be blocked, making the general condition of this road worse than ever. Moreover, the bypass itself and its pavements have not been cleaned for quite some time. There are weeds sprouting all over the place, dog faeces everywhere and, sure enough, after the first rains, blocked culverts.
The situation borders on the ridiculous especially since recently 'No Littering' signs were put up in the very same place by the council.
Are there no street cleaners available to see to the needs of this particular road? Don't any of the councillors or perhaps Members of Parliament and/or their families ever use this road?
Unfortunately, vigilance by the police is also non-existent as this road also has, especially at night, become a race track for some drivers. Sometimes it seems that people in authority do not take any pride in doing what they should do for the betterment of this country.
Why is it that large cities abroad are able to impose discipline on their residents and at the same time maintain cleanliness? Why is there no one here to ensure that things get done after a complaint has been lodged? One has not asked for the road to be resurfaced or redone - only that some effort and resources are allocated to clean it regularly.
Why do we bother to try to promote Brand Malta as an ideal tourist destination when basic cleanliness of our roads and surrounding areas seems to be an insurmountable task?
It is a pity that most local councils seem to be unable to undertake regular maintenance and regular cleaning of areas other than roundabouts and traffic islands and effectively enforce littering and dumping laws. If the same effort that is put into the pursuit of traffic infringements would also be dedicated to such cleaning then I am sure that miracles will happen.