ADPD condemns authorities over water conservation failures

Development in valleys, and lack of enforcement by the Planning Authority and Water Services Corporation, cited as main culprits

(File Photo)
(File Photo)

ADPD has called out the Planning Authority and Water Services Corporation as "incompetent" and for their failure over water conservation.

ADPD candidate and Deputy Secretary General Sandra Gauci remarked that as a result of the first rains of the season, various residential areas have been flooded.

She added that the floods seriously impact traffic flow and in Qormi they lead to an overflow of sewage. Gauci noted that millions of euros in EU funds were spent on flood relief projects, but water is still being wasted due to lack of planning and developments which do not cater for water harvesting.

ADPD chairperson Carmel Cacopardo said that the Qormi valley is only one of a number of valleys that had been developed over.

He added that the valley is a natural water route and due to development in the area, the water gets obstructed and gets mixed up with sewage.

“The responsible authorities failed to ensure that rainwater incident on the roof of developed properties is not disposed of into the sewer, but is instead collected in a water cistern,” said Cacopardo.  

He remarked that for 140 years, rainwater was harvested in water cisterns through legislation, but currently the PA and the WSC are failing from managing this responsibility.

Cacopardo said that the PA has not been verifying that new developments are provided with water cisterns, while the WSC is not verifying whether the linking of house drains to the main sewer are only used for sewage, and not for rainwater.

“When the Planning Authority and the Water Services Corporation carryout their mission properly we will have less storm water on our roads after a storm. It would also then be a rare occurrence for the main sewer to be overloaded with rainwater and consequently to overflow into our streets as a result of any storm,” said Cacopardo.