ERA stops deposit of silt in Zonqor

Silt cleared from a storm water tunnel has been left to dry on the rocky coastline at Zonqor, prompting concerns among ramblers who reported the case to MaltaToday. 

Ramblers were left perplexed with the sheer quantity of silt dumped on the coastline at the Nwadar national park. 

It turned out the silt was dumped there by the Public Works Department some two weeks ago after carrying out works to clear the storm water tunnels from accumulated silt. 

A large storm water tunnel that runs beneath parts of Zabbar and Marsaskala emerges to the sea at Zonqor. 

Unless cleared before the winter season, the silt would end up polluting the sea, but the well-intentioned works have raised environmental concerns. 

Officials from the Environment and Resources Authority halted the works to prevent further spillage of the silt on the rich biodiversity of the garigue. 

Contacted by MaltaToday Stephen Bonello, the director general of the Public Works Department explained that the cleaning of the tunnel from silt is part of routine maintenance works that are undertaken prior to the rainy season and “to mitigate pollution into the sea.”   

The stormwater relief tunnel from Zabbar to Marsaskala has a length of 3.2km and is 3m wide. 

According to Bonello a considerable amount of sludge, circa 80 cubic metres, were cleaned from the first 200m of the tunnel during this year’s routine cleaning. 

“There is more silt further inside the tunnel that needs to be cleaned to ensure that it does not end up in the sea during storms, and to ensure that the tunnel is not blocked by silt accumulation,” he said. 

He also explained that the silt was being removed in stages from the tunnel by Public Works Department personnel using dumpers and a small skid steer loader. The silt was then deposited in a temporary earth basin constructed from inert fill outside the tunnel.  

“This basin was mostly constructed on disturbed land, on an existing earth road that was formed from building waste way back in the 1970’s,” Bonello said. 

He said that once the silt material dries up, all silt and inert material will be carted to the landfill and the site will be returned to its original status.  

Asked whether the works were covered by a Nature Permit, a procedure which ensures that works conducted in sensitive ecological areas do not harm biodiversity, Bonello replied that the National Flood Relief Infrastructure in its entirety is regulated through an Environmental Permit issued by ERA issued in 2016 and last renewed in 2020. 

The permit itself specifies that all  waste resulting from the project are to be stored within a “designated and controlled storage area(s) prior to ultimate disposal”.  

Bonello confirmed that the Public Works Department is now carrying out consultations with ERA to find a permanent location, close to the tunnel access ramp, for the setting up of a silt drying area to ensure that the conditions in the environment permit are met.