Mosta residents feel they are being dealt a raw deal amid no enforcement at a construction site close to their homes as their complaints fall on deaf ears.
Those living close to the development in the area known as taż-Żokkrija vented to their frustrations after this newspaper reported that the construction site was proving to be a headache for the local council.
Speaking to the Times of Malta on the condition of anonymity, the residents said they were filing complaints to the authorities on a regular basis but no action was ever taken.
“We have been complaining for months about the situation and have received marginal assistance from the local authorities,” said a resident who lives about 30 metres from the site.
“Only last week, the Building Regulations Office was contacted and informed about the debris piling up, the amount of dust generated and the fact that no measures were in place to mitigate the problem.”
He said the office had promised to investigate but also said that once various contractors were working in the area, it could be a problem finding the culprit.
The residents pointed out that by law, any land being developed should be surrounded by a boundary wall and a permit was required to dump debris.
The authorities promised to look into the matter, but nothing happened
The authorities promised to look into the matter, they added, but nothing happened.
Speaking of their daily struggle to keep the dust out of their homes, the residents said the absence of any mitigating measures had resulted in so much dust being generated that they were forced to leave all their windows closed. “With the mountain of debris that has been dumped a few metres away, we cannot even open our windows at night, when no works are carried out,” one other resident lamented
“This is very frustrating, especially as temperatures continue to soar.”
There was concern that, since the relevant contractors were not taking the necessary measures in accordance with building regulations, there could be problems when it rains.
“Most houses here have basements, and given the way things have been done so far, we fear that they could be flooded because of excessive mud,” the residents explained.
A spokeswoman for the local council said it was a struggle to remove the waste generated in the area, close to Triq Patri Ġużé Delia, describing the site as a “complete mess”.
This, she added, was a result of both the contractors not abiding by the regulations but also the neglect of new residents, who dumped waste on the pavements outside their doors.