Residents’ long wait to be rid of floods in Birkirkara, Msida and nearby areas is almost over, with the ambitious project aimed at solving this perennial problem set to be completed by the end of November.

The complex network of tunnels stretching 11 kilometres will be able to handle up to 40 millimetres of rain in an hour, which will be channelled into the sea at Ta’ Xbiex. This kind of downpour is normally experienced once every five years.

However, some of the excess water will be pumped back to a reservoir in Gżira as part of a plan to replenish the water table.

The EU-funded National Flood Relief project covers 12 localities. This part costs €28 million of the €52 million being spent on the whole project.

By the end of this month, Valley Road in Birkirkara and Msida – notorious for torrents of water strong enough to sweep vehicles away – will be connected to the rest of the flood-relief system.

The end of November should see the completion of similar works all the way up to Wied Inċita in Attard and the area near the Lija cemetery.

Apart from these areas, the flood-relief project also has three other independent components. The one in Żebbuġ was completed last July, the Marsascala component is due to be inaugurated soon and that in Qormi has already been operational for a year.

The project was launched in 2012.