Coastal area stripped of 'sensitive' protection as sewage spills, PN claims

The government removed a Mellieħa coastal area status as a “sensitive area” weeks after the EU court pointed that the government cannot discharge untreated sewage in the Ċumnija coast because of its protected status, the PN claimed on Wednesday.

“The government showed just how clueless it is about how to solve the chaos it created when, on 27 December 2024, it decided to remove the environmental classification of ‘sensitive area’ from the Ċumnija coast – just weeks after the European Court ruling,” the Nationalist Party said.

The PN said that after the European Court of Justice ruled that the government was discharging sewage into the area, the government removed the “sensitive” classification for the area instead of addressing the problem of seeping sewage, in order to remove the requirement for stricter sewage treatment rules.

“Instead of solving the sewage crisis, the government removed the classification of a sensitive marine zone,” they said.

Last week, sewage spilled into the Ċumnija sea, which is just next to the sewage treatment plant.

However, the responsible government agency said it was only caused by damage to a pipe.

“Repair works commenced straight away during the night and were completed by early morning,” a Water Services Corporation spokesperson had said.

Last Sunday, PN MP Rebekah Borg said sewage was again spilling in the area.

“A week ago, they told us the air pipe had burst and they fixed it. What's the excuse now?” Borg said on Facebook alongside a video she said was taken on Sunday.

Asked about the incident, WSC denied that anything was wrong with the plant that day.

“WSC can confirm the plant at Ċumnija is operating well and our systems did not indicate any faults. An on-site coast inspection is also showing clear waters. We are nevertheless monitoring the situation,” WSC said on Tuesday.

Environment shadow minister Rebekah Borg, research and innovation shadow minister Ryan Callus, and infrastructure shadow minister Joe Giglio all addressed a PN press conference on the matter on Wednesday afternoon.

Labour: 92% of beaches are of excellent quality

Replying to the PN statement, the Labour Party said:

“The Nationalist Party is engaged in a desperate attempt to sell the lie that the quality of seawater in Malta is poor.

If the PN were right, the European Environment Agency would not classify 92% of beaches as having excellent quality and another 8% as having good and satisfactory levels.

Despite this, the government continues to invest in improvements, and the irony is that the PN always opposes this investment - just like it’s doing in the case of Ċumnija in Mellieħa.”

The PL was referring to the expansion of the treatment plant announced in March.