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Gilbert Calleja
The PN and the MLP seem set to divert the general public’s attention from solving a water seepage problem, into a puerile political stunt where each side is giving a totally different version of the same problem without really tackling the real issue. What’s at stake is a national heritage site, but political bickering is hindering the preservation process.
The resurfacing of the Rabat main square some two weeks ago was blamed for the large quantities of rainwater which seeped into the 1680 Lorenzo Gafa underground passageway, linking St Paul’s Grotto and the Wignacourt Collegiate Museum across the road.
Following the bad weather which hit the islands on the days between the 13 and 15 February, the Rabat local council members received a letter from museum curator Dun Gwann Azzopardi, saying that tar from the freshly laid two-inch layer of tarmac had seeped through the porous rock beneath the end of College Street, which divides the museum from the grotto.
Mayor Frank Fabri told MaltaToday that upon receiving the letter he sought the advise of a group of experts composed of architects Charles Buhagiar, Herman Bonnici and Faye Sciberras. Together with Fabri, they drew up a report on “alleged damage” to St Paul’s Grotto.
The report states the seepage was dirty rainwater which was led into the passageway – not the Grotto – by water pipes. “On inspection Perit Bonnici expressed the opinion that the stains are believed to be diluted soil material rather then tar, since on rubbing off the stain with a finger, the stain faded and removed without leaving a mark. If the stains were diluted tar, the wall would remain stained since the tar penetrates into the stone fabric permanently,” says the report.
When confronted by the numerous claims that employees and volunteers saw ‘tar stains’ dripping along the walls of the passageway, Fabri insisted that one should listen to experts not amateurs. He was also quick to add that the PN had took on the issue and blown it out of proportion in order to gain political advantage on the eve of the local councils elections.
PN councillor Paul Abela avowed to having seen tar-like marks, but said the greatest problem was the great quantities of water seeping in. Abela visited the site on Thursday afternoon during heavy rainfall and said that bucketfuls of water was flooding the Grotto covering and causing damage to the Knights’ tombstones.
This was later confirmed by employees on the site. Abela said that the water was coming through a possible crack which developed in the thin rock layer separating the passage from the upper side of the road.
According to Abela this was caused by the heavy machinery employed during the resurfacing, and said the council should have carried out a study about the impact such machinery can have on historical sites. He also said the council had hurried into the project without taking in consideration the sensitivity of the area’s features – “I hope that an assessment of the damages is done and immediate action taken.”
On Friday afternoon, water was trickling down St Paul’s statue in the grotto. Employees drying up the ground beneath the statue in the grotto said this leakage was very rare.
Indeed, the problem seems to be the great quantities of water seeping into the ground beneath College Street, which is causing the rock to crumble. The passageway had already been restored in 2000 following similar works carried out in the area.
gcalleja@mediatoday.com.mt
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