Ministry defends flood relief projects

The Resources Ministry yesterday hit back at criticism aimed at proposed flood relief projects which would cover several towns in low-lying areas.

Reacting to The Sunday Times story last week, which showed that plans to construct an underground tunnel network to relieve flood-prone areas had been on the drawing board for 15 years, the ministry promised major works would start next year. The ministry also reacted to criticism by Durham University geologist Peter Gatt who slammed the government's enthusiasm for multi-million euro engineering projects as a solution to the country's ills, saying such projects often overlooked natural systems which could be harnessed at a lower cost.

Dr Gatt had also said that engineering projects were located in the wrong places and were being undertaken without the necessary data collection on current and future water flows.

In response, the ministry said plans were based on preliminary economic and environmental studies, and consultants had been appointed to conduct further studies.

Technical studies were still ongoing, the ministry added, but work on smaller parts of the project may be undertaken this year. An example of this was a reservoir proposed upstream just outside the urban areas of Gżira.

The €55 million-infrastructure project, which depends on the EU agreeing to finance 85 per cent of the project, is designed to assist 12 localities prone to flooding - Balzan, Lija, Attard, Iklin, Birkirkara, Gżira, Msida, Żebbuġ, Qormi, Marsa, Żabbar, and Marsascala.

The ministry did not address concerns raised last week about the possible contamination of stored water, which the ministry plans to distribute to farmers for irrigation.

Reacting to the ministry's response, Dr Gatt asked whether the discarded alternatives included interventions such as water storage or water deviation in the upstream parts.

Dr Gatt also questioned what percentage of total flood discharge in low-lying areas would be relieved by these projects for each catchment area.

Applications for the start of works were submitted to the Malta Environment and Planning Authority last November.

cmuscat@timesofmalta.com