Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi has promised that he would ask Mepa officials to start collating all material into what was causing the black soot problem over the south of the island.

The issue was raised by Nationalist MP Jesmond Mugliett who insisted that the people of the south deserved better and could no longer wait for years for answers. The people were living this problem every day, he said, and should not be treated like a ping-bong ball going from one agency to another.

Dr Gonzi said that all available material would be laid on the Table of the House.

Dr Gonzi said that there was nothing secret or sinister or that the government should be ashamed of. Experts had analysed the black soot since August but they did not arrive at a conclusion as to where this was emanating from.

If it came from the Marsa power station, then it should have two particular chemicals which, in effect were not present in the soot that had been collected.