Qormi-Marsa storm waterway widened

Government workers have been busily widening a storm waterway between Qormi and Marsa, laying a concrete bed and a thick retaining wall along the 600-metre canal, in a bid to ease the flooding problems in the area.

At an on-site press briefing yesterday morning, Resources and Infrastructure Minister Ninu Zammit said the new watercourse involved clearing soil rock from a canal that the started next to the Lowenbrau factory and ended at Jetties Wharf in Marsa.

The area had been flood-stricken last September due to unusually heavy rain and an insufficient storm waterway infrastructure.

"The stones were cut from a government quarry and were cut with a slanting side for strength," Mr Zammit said.

All electricity cables and drainage pipes had been diverted. The project involved clearing of soil and even rock-cutting. "Some trees had to be removed for the waterway to be widened but they will be replanted elsewhere," Mr Zammit said.

An existing concrete bridge that acted as a bottleneck and was deemed an obstacle would be pulled down and replaced by another bridge.

Mr Zammit said the government had budgeted more than Lm1 million for the project, Lm450,000 of which came from the European Union's Solidarity Fund.

Expected to be completed at the end of the year, works also involved cleaning and clearing of valleys that all led to the Marsa watercourse.

"Workers are busy clearing Wied il-Kbir, Wied ic-Cawsli, Wied Qirda, Wied Xkora, Wied l-Isqof, Wied tal-Hzejjen and Wied ta' Hal Mula," he said, explaining that dredging works at Jetties Wharf would soon start.

The minister said work was going on in Burmarrad, where workers were also clearing a waterway that had been completely covered with mud and soil over the years.

Mr Zammit said the health and safety of workers had been given greater importance.

In a bid to encourage a culture of safety, Mr Zammit explained that the government had spent about Lm22,000 on protective gear for workers.