A street in Floriana has been regularly awash with drainage for over a year despite numerous calls to authorities, according to frustrated residents. 

They said a section of Triq Vincento Dimech has been seeing frequent leaks from a manhole close to the tax department building since last year.

“We reported this over a year ago and have been complaining almost every day. It’s a mess,” said a resident who asked not to be named. 

“It’s ridiculous that people have to walk in this in 2023... there are construction workers here. It’s not fair on them,” he continued. 

The leak is attracting mosquitoes and causing an “unpleasant smell,” he said, adding that although workers had sometimes turned up to fix the problem, the leak kept returning. 

“Sometimes it seems like it’s fixed, but by the morning we have a stream and we’re back to square one... Now it’s every day.”

The leak has been traced to a blockage in an underground sewer gallery. Photo: Jonathan Borg.

Responding to questions, Water Services Corporation spokesperson Pablo Micallef said the company was aware of the problem caused by a blockage in a sewer gallery beneath the street.

Such blockages were commonly caused by items such as wet wipes being flushed down the toilet, he explained, adding that incorrect flushing of items was a “big issue” for the company. 

When asked why the problem had persisted despite regular calls from residents, Micallef said the historic leaks had come from a different manhole connected to a government buildings system and not part of the company’s network. 

He said the issue with the WSC connection had only occurred recently and that, although the company had tried to fix it, normal unblocking methods had proven ineffective. 

"There’s a 50-metre stretch of pipe between two manholes which needs to be replaced. We will be starting works this week, during which that section of road will be closed,” Micallef said.  

“The works are expected to take around one and a half weeks," he said, adding more information would be posted to the company’s Facebook page before the works begin.

This is not the first drainage leak to have hit the headlines this year after a similar issue in June left Msida residents outraged at the “disgusting” state of the skatepark, which was flooded with wastewater after a nearby residential pipe burst.

Iklin residents have also complained about repeated sewage leaks from a manhole between Triq il-Wied and Triq Geronimo Abos, with the problems starting after long-drawn-up works on Triq il-Wied were completed last year.