Sewage flows on Sliema front

Sewage has been leaking onto the Sliema front for at least two weeks, with the mayor attributing the overflow to a blocked private wastewater connection in a nearby building.

A flow of foul-smelling water could be seen emanating from a cracked and depressed section of road on Triq Lunzjata, pooled with water, when Times of Malta visited the site on Friday.

One resident said the “disgusting” issue had been ongoing since he moved in around two years ago but had become more problematic over the past six months, with authorities repeatedly filling in the section of the road, only for the problem to return.

Sliema mayor John Pillow, meanwhile, stressed that the highlighted issue had only been occurring over the past two weeks and was due to be fixed next week, with the repairs the responsibility of the private building from where the issue had originated.

Björn, a resident of the street for the past two years who asked not to publish his surname, said the issue had occurred “frequently” since he moved in, leaving tourists and locals to splash through the “stinking” water.

Local businesses had also been forced to bear the brunt of the nuisance, he said, while expressing sympathy for visitors to the locality.

“Every time I go outside it stinks; I avoid it, but I feel sorry for tourists who go through it in flip-flops,” he said, adding that authorities’ previous attempts to stem the flow by filling in the pothole with concrete had proved unsuccessful.

Foul-smelling water could be seen flowing down onto The Strand on Friday, pooling in the road and pedestrian crossing adjacent to the nearby branch of Sottozero.

The blockage was neither the responsibility of the council nor the Water Services Corporation, the mayor said, noting the costs would instead be borne by the private co-owners of the nearby building.

Times of Malta is informed that a contractor has been engaged to carry out the works, which are expected to cause minor disturbance in the area.

Sewage overflow has proved to be a prevailing issue in Sliema recently. Last month saw residents twice voice concerns about foul-smelling discharge leaking into the sea in the popular tourist locality.

The Water Services Authority later sealed several manholes in a bid to curb illegal dumping on construction material into the sewage network, as a nearby hotel development came under suspicion in connection with the leaks.