Żebbuġ reservoir cleared of more than 90,000 litres of sludge

More than 90,000 litres of sludge have been removed from the reservoir beneath Żebbuġ Local Council offices following an extensive cleaning operation, Żebbuġ mayor Steve Zammit Lupi said.

“After a whole summer of pumping out the water used to irrigate our trees, around 35,000 litres every week, we finally managed to reach the bottom of the reservoir,” Zammit Lupi wrote in a Facebook post on Monday evening.

The cleaning operation involved removing more than 90,000 litres of sludge that had accumulated over the years. Zammit Lupi said workers also removed stones that had been dumped inside the reservoir, as well as roots that had grown down from the ceiling.

Zammit Lupi praised the workers, saying they had done an “excellent job” under difficult conditions.

The reservoir features 24 arches, is 6.5 metres deep and 27.5 metres long, and can hold 600,000 litres of rainwater.

“The reservoir is a vital source of water for the council’s needs. It is a water heritage created by our ancestors that we must preserve for the future,” Zammit Lupi said.