A €5 million rehabilitation of Chadwick Lakes will begin in the coming weeks, with the project expected to take two years to complete.

Named after British engineer Sir Osbert Chadwick, who designed most of the existing water dams dating back to the end the 19th century, this popular spot  at Wied il-Qlejgħa, limits of Rabat has been left neglected for decades.

Details about the rehabilitation project, which is being managed by the Energy and Water Agency and was first announced in January, were revealed on Tuesday afternoon in a news conference.

What will works involve?

Works will include restoring existing dams' storage capacity and removing debris and silt deposits which have accumulated over the years.

Banks and retaining walls will be rebuilt in an environmentally-friendly manner, while intrusive development such as a playground in the valley bed, constructed during the 1990s, will be removed.

How will the project help the area?

Energy and Water Agency CEO Manuel Sapiano noted that a number of studies had already been carried out as part of the permitting process. The project aims to cleanse the valley of various invasive flora, so that endemic species can flourish in the long term.

Mr Sapiano pointed out that the benefits of having rainwater dams was currently lost, as most were full of silt, thus reducing the overall capacity.

He added that the project would also restore access to the inner part of the valley, while insisting that all of these works would be carried out within the existing footprint.

“Our objective is to tap EU funds for the continuous maintenance of the Chadwick Lakes as it would be pointless rehabilitating and allow it to fall in a state of neglect once again,” he said.

Access to parts of the valley will be closed during the works.

EU funds Parliamentary Secretary Aaron Farrugia noted that this project was partly financed through the European Regional Development Funds and was part of government’s efforts to upgrade recreational facilities.

On his part Energy Minister Joe Mizzi noted that this project would contribute to less extraction of water from the aquifer, as farmers would be able to make better use of the rainwater dams.