Parts of the Salini watercourse adjacent to the Coast Road and a breakwater in the outer part of the bay need urgent attention due to their deteriorated state, a report has concluded.

However, no decision has yet been taken on the way forward, with the government saying that remedial works depended on “national priorities and available funds”.

Dating back to the 16th century, the historic Salini saltpans have just undergone a €7 million restoration project. The area, which is of ecological importance, was recently handed over to BirdLife Malta to manage as a nature reserve.

Apart from the rehabilitation of the salt marshes, works on this site covering an area of 18,000 square metres, included the reinstatement of rubble walls, a visitor centre, and the construction of two boat jetties. The EU-funded project, which had started in 2011 had fallen behind schedule and was only completed last year.

However, last July it transpired that the watercourse (sukkursu) on each side of the saltpans was not part of this project. Infrastructure Minister Joe Mizzi confirmed this in reply to a parliamentary question tabled by Nationalist MP Ċensu Galea.

Mr Galea had flagged the poor state of repair of the jetties in the outer part of the bay and asked whether the Salini restoration project included dredging the watercourse.

The deteriorated state of the watercourse warranted complex and quite expensive restoration works

Mr Mizzi had replied that the Works Department would carry out an on-site inspection to determine the condition of the structures.

The findings, which were tabled in Parliament on Mr Galea’s request, confirmed the deteriorated state of these coastal structures.

From the report, dated October 27, 2016, it transpired that several parts of the retaining limestone walls on each side of the minor sukkursu had eroded considerably.

Part of the watercourse embankment adjacent to the Coast Road, which needs urgent attention.

However, the highest concern was raised on the “very bad state” of the retaining wall adjacent to the Coast Road, parts of which had collapsed and were no longer in existence.

It also transpired that the stability of the wall had already been raised with Transport Malta by the Works Department prior to the start of the Coast Road project.

Subsequently, it was decided that Transport Malta would design a separate structure for the roads which would be independent from the retaining wall, so that future works on the sukkursu embankment could be carried out.

However, the report points out that by the time of writing the transport watchdog had not provided the author with details on the road construction.

Moreover, the bad state of the wall was also resulting in the seepage of water underneath the Coast Road.

Though one possible solution could be the reconstruction of the wall and laying of geofabric material at the back of it, such operation should have been done while the road was being reconstructed, the report said.

In conclusion, the report warned that the deteriorated state of the watercourse warranted “complex and quite expensive” restoration works.

The inspection also delivered a damning verdict on both the slipway at the minor sukkursu entrance as well as the breakwater guarding the saltpans from inclement weather. In both cases, the complete reconstruction of the structures was recommended.

Despite the urgent nature of the situation, there are no indications on the start of remedial works. Asked by Mr Galea what measures would be taken to address this issue, the Infrastructure Minster last month said that works would be carried out according to “national priorities and available funds”.