Marsa residents may feel vindicated by the planning authority's admission that a waste oils recycling company in their town was caught dumping contaminated water into the sewage system, but the noxious fumes remain.
Although Falzon Group's Waste Oils Co. Ltd was discovered illegally dumping oil-contaminated water during an investigation by environment inspectors looking into the issue of noxious fumes that occasionally plague the Hexagon House area, Marsa mayor Francis Debono insists the foul smells have not abated.
The last spell of foul smells enveloped the area last month and despite repeated complaints over the years the source of the problem was never identified.
Last year, the offices of the Malta Environment and Planning Authority at Hexagon House had to be evacuated after hydrogen sulphide gas contaminated the building. Mepa had confirmed the gas had seeped back into the drainage system of the building from the public sewage.
Mr Debono's feelings are a mixture of relief and indignation.
"It is positive that for the first time since 1996 when the oil recycling facility became operational, Mepa conducted spot checks.
However, the discovery of illegal dumping has not solved the problem of the pungent smells," he said.
The local council has long blamed the waste oils recycling company for the problem of foul smells that emanate from the installation on Spencer Hill.
The company has always denied the accusations.
Last week, The Times quoted a Mepa spokesman saying that during inspections of different installations in the Hexagon House area they had discovered that Waste Oils Co. Ltd was discharging oil-contaminated water in the sewer.
The company has not yet been issued with an environmental permit (IPPC - Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control) from Mepa, despite submitting an application in July 2008.
The permit would contain strict pollution control measures and conditions the company would have to adhere to. Heavy industry in Malta is gradually coming in line with EU rules by obtaining the IPPC.
According to Mepa, the delay is linked to the fact that the recycling operations, as conducted by the company, did not fully conform to required EU standards.
On the other hand, the company insists the delay boils down to a problem of interpretation of EU regulations.
The Marsa mayor is not amused by the haggling between the authority and the company.
He laments inaction by the authorities to get to the bottom of the noxious fumes problem, insisting the oil recycling facility is only metres away from private residences.
"If the plant is not up to standard and the IPPC permit has not yet been issued why is the plant still operational? Over the past 10 years how many spot checks has Mepa performed on the facility?" he asked.
He is also irked because Mepa and the company did not bother to reply to a judicial protest filed by the local council last year.