WSC questions EU petition based on ‘unverified’ sewage video

Updated 7.48pm

Water Services Corporation warned that a petition on sewage flowing into the sea discussed by the European Parliament was based on footage of “unverified” origin, after an inspection found no damage to a wastewater outfall pipe in Gozo.

The corporation questioned the “authenticity” of the video which was shared by MEP Peter Agius which purportedly showed sewage flowing at Ras il-Ħobż in Gozo and which led to a petition highlighting ongoing failures in wastewater management that are leading to sewage discharge into Maltese coastal waters.

An independent dive inspection held by WSC on Thursday confirmed there is “no pipe damage” at Ras il-Ħobż in Gozo.

The divers inspected the outfall pipe at Ras il-Ħobż and confirmed there is “no damaged pipe” and “no broken infrastructure at this location”.

“What is depicted in the circulated footage does not reflect the situation on site,” the WSC said.

“The origin on the circulated footage is unknown, the date it was filmed is unknown, and the location it purports to show cannot be verified. We do not know where this footage came from,” the corporation added in its statement.

WSC said it was “deeply concerned” that the “unverified” footage had formed the basis for formal proceedings at the Petitions Committee of the European Parliament.

It pointed out that people who supported the petition had been misled as they did so on the basis of information “which has since been contradicted by physical evidence gathered at the site”.

The PETI Committee and the European Commission were presented with material “whose authenticity is now seriously in question”,  WSC added.

However, the MEP pointed out the footage was one out of four video evidence shown by the petitioners during the committee meeting. Other files show sewage outflow happening as late as February 2026 from Taċ-Ċumnija plant and March 2026 from the Ta' Barkat plant in Xgħajra. 

Agius clarified that the video from Gozo he posted on his Facebook page "dated from a few years earlier". However, he insisted, "it shows the same phenomenon". 

"The pipe was repaired after the footage was taken but the flow keeps going further out at sea," Agius said.

Earlier this week, a European Commission representative from the Directorate-General for the Environment told MEPs that the latest readings from Maltese seawater indicated a continued breach of EU rules and further action would be taken to guarantee clean seas in Malta. 

Agius argued that Maltese people have a fundamental right to a clean and safe sea but are increasingly encountering polluted waters and closed bathing sites. 

Reacting to the WSC's video, Agius said "people can see for themselves whether we have a sewage problem when they go to the beach and find it closed for risk of bacteria and infection." 

WSC pointed out this was not an isolated case as it has previously been “confronted with information about its operations that has been mispresented or distorted”.

“That a narrative built on unverified footage has now reached the floor of the European Parliament is a matter of serious concern, not only for WSC but for Malta's standing and reputation at a European level,” WSC said.

“We will not allow the Corporation, its staff, or Malta's reputation to be undermined by content that cannot be verified and that has been directly contradicted by evidence gathered on the ground,” the corporation added as it called for all parties to “allow the facts, and the facts alone, to guide this conversation”.

An invitation was sent to Agius to visit the WSC’s facilities and meet its management team but WSC said the MEP did not accept the invitation.

WSC insisted that Malta’s wastewater infrastructure is operated according to Maltese and European law.

In a statement, the Labour Party condemned "the behaviour of someone who is supposed to represent Malta and Gozo in European institutions". 

The PL questioned whether the Nationalist Party will "condemn this type of deceit".