The Marsascala branch of the national flood relief project has been completed, and the section in Birkirkara will be completed by the end of the month, Transport and Infrastructure Minister Joe Mizzi said today.

The project is based on a system of galleries which carry water to reservoirs or the sea.

The Marsascala branch, costing €7.9m, will ease flooding in various parts of the area, notably Zabbar. The tunnel is 3.2km long, from the outskirts of Zabbar to Zonqor Point. Some of the water will be channelled for agricultural use. The water will be filtered before being dumped in the sea or used in fields.

The Birkirkara section, leading all the way from Attard to Ta'Xbiex, was delayed by works in Iklin and Lija. 

It is aimed at reducing the risks of flooding in Valley Road, Birkirkara and Msida. What remains in the clearance of debris, Mr Mizzi said 

A section of the flood relief project in  Żebbuġ was completed last July, and that in Qormi was ready last year.

Mr Mizzi said a team of persons had been appointed to maintain the system, with the biggest problem being the illegal disposal of plastic bags which clog culverts.