Construction debris blocks sewer, leads to sewage overflow in Sliema coastline

Construction waste seeped into the sea along Sliema’s coastline after large volumes of demolition waste obstructed the sewer line. 

Residents reported what seemed like raw sewage flowing into the sea at the Sliema Ferries area.

A Water Services Corporation spokesperson told Times of Malta the issue, which has now been contained,  was due to a "significant blockage" caused by the illegal discharge of construction debris into the network.

The WSC found the blockage last week after discovering a large volume of waste, consistent with construction or demolition waste, obstructing the sewer line.

Construction debris extracted from the Sliema sewer network in the past few days. Photo: WSC

The spokesperson said it is not clear where the construction waste was first dumped, and the corporation is currently in contact with the Sliema Local Council and the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) regarding the incident.

The Corporation is currently performing a cleaning exercise of the network in the Sliema-Gżira Strand area affected by the debris.

“To remove the debris safely and effectively, the affected pipe section must be fully drained before any physical intervention can take place. This is standard health and safety operational procedure,” the spokesperson said.

On Friday the leakage had been contained but WSC said they could not exclude it from happening again as "cleaning is still ongoing". 

WSC urged the public to only dispose of appropriate waste in the sewer network.

“Discharging construction materials, debris, grease, wipes, or any other foreign matter into the sewer network is illegal and dangerous. The consequences affect the entire community, including the risk of sewage backflow, flooding, and extended service disruptions.”