PN: Robert Abela is on holiday while beaches are filled with slime

Updated 12.10pm with Labour reaction

Robert Abela and his government are on holiday while Malta’s beaches are plagued with sewage overflows and sea slime, the Nationalist Party said on Saturday.

“While the Ministers responsible seem to be enjoying the season — having not uttered a single word about the disaster affecting our seas — Maltese residents and tourists are instead faced with polluted waters, strange foam and foul odours, instead of the clean seas in which they could enjoy summer,” it said.

The PN statement comes in response to multiple reports of sea slime along Malta’s northern coast, stretching from St Paul’s Bay to Sliema.

While the fish farm lobby has declined to admit responsibility for the slime, the owner of one of the operators told Times of Malta “we’re doing our best to clean up the slime”.

The environmental regulator, ERA, said earlier this week it had instructed fish farm operators to launch clean up operations. The government has yet to comment on the sea slime reports.

In its statement, the PN noted that the government is also contending with a “complete disaster” in the country’s sewage system, with various swimming spots closed to bathers due to sewage outflows which authorities have attributed to outflows from private residences or establishments.

The European Court of Justice last year found Malta guilty of breaching EU sewage treatment rules. The government subsequently announced a decade-long €315 million project to revamp sewage treatment systems.

“Robert Abela and his colleagues do not appear to be concerned. Instead, they have gone off to enjoy the summer, leaving Maltese residents and tourists searching for a patch of unpolluted sea in which they can swim,” the PN said as it demanded “seriousness” from the government.

“If it truly has respect for the environment, for the Maltese people who pay taxes to live in a decent country, and for the tourists who pay to visit our islands, the government must take care of our seas and environment, ensuring we have the necessary infrastructure and enforcement to guarantee their protection,” it said.

PN leadership contender Adrian Delia also raised concerns about the matter earlier in the week. 

Labour: Most beaches are excellent

In a brief reaction, the Labour Party accused the PN of promoting "falsehoods, pessimism and dishonesty." 

"The statements made by the Nationalist Party are not based on any credible source, including the Public Health Directorate, which has consistently classified beaches transparently," it said. "The majority of Maltese beaches are deemed excellent and suitable for swimming."