Infrastructure Malta is planning a project to modify street levels in an area of Birzebbuġa frequently flooded by seawater, parliament was told on Monday.

The streets around St George's Bay are often flooded by the sea in what has been called an 'atmospheric tsunami'. A similar phenomenon occasionally also occurs in Msida.

In November last year, mayor Joseph Farrugia had told Times of Malta that flooding was frequent and he had been calling on the authorities to address the issue for over 20 years.

The flooding is caused by a phenomenon referred to by experts as an “atmospheric tsunami”, technically known as seiche waves or locally as milgħuba. 

Infrastructure Minister Ian Borg told Nationalist MP Toni Bezzina in reply to a parliamentary question that Infrastructure Malta had considered various options to ease the problem. 

The €400,000 project will see Infrastructure Malta modify street levels, increase and improve water culverts and then rebuild pavements once street resurfacing is completed. 

A call for tender for the project is currently in the adjudicating stage.