David Darmanin
Raw sewage was left to ferment out in the open in the streets of St Julian’s for a whole day yesterday after works carried out by the Water Services Corporation (WSC).
It all started when Lapsi Street residents noticed an overflow in their drains at home, prompting them to call the WSC to report that a manhole cover in their street had been dislodged with the force of the backflow.
“The WSC came to unblock the drain, thereby allowing water to flow again but leaving the mess in the road,” an angry resident told MaltaToday. “My wife told the WSC people to clean up the sewage in the road, but the WSC folks said they had no water and left in their bowser. They assured her that the team would come again with a bowser to clean the raw sewage from the road.”
But seeing that the sewage was left there, residents tried calling WSC offices in San Gwann as well as a Freephone number for such services, but to no avail.
“We then called the Civil Protection Department because of the stench and the state of the road outside, not knowing whether the WSC will turn up or not,” one resident said.
“Civil Protection suggested we call the local council or the mayor to report the problem. I called the St Julian’s council and was diverted to voicemail. I called the mayor (Peter Bonello) and explained the situation. His reply to me was: ‘It’s Saturday and all the government departments are closed.’
“I, not so calmly, explained that this was unacceptable as raw sewage causes typhoid and cholera and we, along with anyone walking in the area were wading in shit. Leaving this situation as it was could not be an option simply due to health issues involved. He eventually seemed to get the message and said he would make some calls.”
Some 30 minutes later a WSC bowser arrived.
“I went outside to find a flock of WSC personnel had dumped water further up from my house. Flabbergasted, I told them that they had succeeded in washing the mess from outside my house to all around the neighbourhood. They could not understand that my concern was not that there was sewage outside my door, but that this was affecting the entire neighbourhood.”
Just as the WSC people were leaving, two workers sent by the mayor arrived, but as the situation was spread all over the Lapsi Street and Main Street area it was too dispersed for them to be of any help. Nothing much could be done with a few buckets of water at this stage.
“Worse still, the top of the stairs by Saddles is coated with raw sewage,” the resident remarked. “The mentality of just throwing cold water has to change. This does not clean the affected area, it merely spreads the disease over a greater space and causes more damage.”