Sewage spilling into Victoria waterway recently found to have E.coli
Dozens of dead birds were found at the site last year
Sewage has been spilling in a Gozo valley and waterway which was recently also found to have high levels of the E. coli bacterium, the Malta Ranger Unit (MRU) said.
In a Facebook post on Sunday, MRU said it had reported the spill near the polluted waterway in Wied ta’ Żejta, next to Triq is-Sellem, where dozens of dead ducks and geese were discovered last year.
The rangers were informed that the Environment and Resources Authority (ERA) and the Water Services Corporation would be taking action.
A video attached to the post shows faeces and tissue paper in the stream of runoff.
The same site, on the border between the Gozitan capital of Victoria and Xagħra, had come under the spotlight earlier this year, after tests carried out by the National Veterinary Laboratory revealed Escherichia coli contamination.
The tests were carried out after dozens of dead birds were found in the area.
While E.coli is commonly linked to untreated sewage, the Gozo Ministry at the time said no sewage contamination was detected in the area.
Earlier this month, Times of Malta reported how ducks continue to swim in the waterway, with the pond still littered with plastic bottles, paint lids and debris.
It is unclear when the sewage first started seeping into the waterway. It is also unknown whether the presence of E. coli is linked to the sewage leak flagged by MRU.
Further questions have been sent to ERA and Water Services Corporation.