I was pleasantly surprised to see the area where the Mayor of Marsa Francis Debono held a press conference on October 14, thoroughly cleaned for the occasion.

It is a pity that residents of Patri Feliċjan Bilocca Street and Fishermen Street have to suffer foul smells from urine and rubbish that litter the area, which has become the recreation ground of the illegal immigrants who throng this area. To add to the many inconveniences, this area is plagued by thousands of mosquitoes that surround the duck pond that at times more closely resembles a cesspool, so much so that even the poor ducks refrain from paddling in it. A truly lamentable situation particularly in summer when we have to suffer from extremely nauseous smells and mosquito bites.

The residents of Fishermen Street have always had to suffer water entering their houses after exceptionally heavy rainfall, with the water coming from as far off as Ħamrun and from December 13 Road, which has aggravated the situation more than a bit. In fact, when there is heavy rain it is not unusual for part of this road facing Patri Feliċjan Billocca Street to be closed to traffic. One can only imagine the chaos that ensues. However, recently, residents have had to endure still further hardships in the nature of not only mud, debris and rainwater flooding their homes but sewage water seeping in too with the added health hazards that this entails.

The problem is even greater because when the rain has stopped this sewage water continues to flow freely for another couple of hours leaving Fishermen Street covered with muck and sludge that is then splashed on passers-by and onto house fronts by heavy vehicles that continuously pass through this street illegally.

I think that Marsa residents in this area have suffered more than enough from pollution from the Marsa Power Station, the emissions from the incinerator and the foul smells and fumes that waft around Hexagon House where Mepa employees have lodged several complaints about health safety. We could also add to these the health hazards present due to the presence of massive antennae on the roof of the Go Mobile building just across the road from Hexagon House and just round the bock from Fishermen Street and Patri F. Bilocca Street.

I have felt the need to write this letter since the press gave very little coverage to the press conference at which the mayor voiced his concerns about this drainage problem. I would also like to thank, in the name of all the residents, Gino Cauchi who was also present and for his personal interest in raising this problem as a parliamentary question. I felt greatly insulted by the answer given by Minister Austin Gatt, who said that the sewage flooding our streets was caused because excess water from rooftops has been illegally joined to the drainage system hence causing it to overflow.

I would like to point out to the minister that the sewage water finishing up in this area does not originate from Marsa; we are at the end of the stream. How can the minister expect us to accept such a stupidly simplified answer? I think he should show more respect for our intelligence.

I wish also to thank the mayor for his limitless efforts to ameliorate the problems facing Marsa and only wish to witness more active interest by the authorities concerned so that our pleas will not fall on deaf ears.