The owner of a café in Ta' Xbiex says she has lost a third of her business earnings over the last five weeks because authorities have failed to deal with a drainage leak in a neighbouring garage.
Maria Farrugia has been inundated with complaints from her customers at the Yacht Café on Triq ix-Xatt about a foul smell coming from repeated flooding at the premises next door.
“You have to close the door and put on the AC. You can’t open the door. I can’t close the café, I have two children to support. What can I do?” she asked.
The Water Services Corporation and the Environmental Health Directorate were called out to respond to the situation but told her the matter did not fall under their respective responsibilities, she said.
In a statement released on Tuesday, the WSC said it had since identified a problem with the main sewer on Triq ir-Rampa and would be replacing it.
Ms Farrugia does not know where the water is coming in from but described it sounding like a waterfall in the garage that occurs on a daily basis.
“The smell is terrible, and it goes on for days and days,” she added.
Ms Farrugia claimed it had cost her around 30 per cent of her business earnings over the last five weeks and that she had contacted the Ta’ Xbiex local council eight times in an attempt to resolve the situation.
Jasmine Tonna, executive secretary to Ta’ Xbiex local council, said she has spent the last three weeks in daily contact with the WSC to try to resolve the issue.
She said officials started assessing the damage in the last week of October, using special cameras to try to identify the fault.
Pascal Demajo, who owns garages on the same road, said he had been told the leak was likely from a broken drainage pipe on the upper road and under the road surface.
“This is a health hazard, having drainage running in the streets with cars passing through the area and splashing through it,” Dr Demajo said.
The owner of the garage, Faye Albanosso, said she was also very concerned about the situation and wanted it resolved without more delays.
Officials from the WSC are expected to assess the drainage leak again on Tuesday.
In a statement released on Tuesday, the WSC said they had carried out tests a day after first being alerted to the complaint.
It said the tests showed a sewer main was damaged and needs to be repaired so they tried to fix the most obvious defects by patching.
"After a major urgent job, WSC workers will be replacing the sewer main at Triq ir-Rampa."