Motorists driving along the Coast Road on Wednesday morning had to once again maneuver carefully to avoid rainwater flooding at the busy junction with Triq is-Salina, the road to T'Alla w'Ommu hill.
The Coast Road was flooded after just a few minutes of rain. Vehicles could be seen slowing down as they approached the roundabout close to the Salina salt pans in an attempt to avoid the water.
Since major works were carried out to widen the Coast Road in 2015, flooding has been a regular occurrence whenever it rains, with the government's roads agency repeatedly blaming faulty stormwater systems and blocked drains because of debris carried by storms.
And Wednesday's flooding was no different, with a spokesperson for Infrastructure Malta seemingly justifying the issue by saying: "The area in question is synonymous with flooding when flash rains occur."
As in previous years, the agency also blamed the flooding on "a build-up of debris".
"Preliminary indications point towards a build-up of debris in the stormwater system that decreased the flow of water.
"The stormwater system in the area is scheduled to undergo annual maintenance towards the end of August," the spokesperson said.
In 2015, soon after the opening of the road, which was dubbed by the traffic authorities as the “most beautiful road in Malta” in a promotional video, Transport Malta had said an "older system" was being upgraded.
"Once completed, the possibility of such occurrences happening in the future will be minimised," Transport Malta, who was at the time the roads agency, had said.
According to the Infrastructure Malta spokesperson, the stormwater system is expected to undergo "a minor intervention" aimed at minimising the build-up of debris by the end of 2022.
Wednesday's mid-day rain also caused flooding further up Triq is-Salina while at Iklin, residents reported a sewage outflow and a manhole being raised by the stormwater. Similar complaints have been made after rainfall ever since the road from Iklin to Naxxar was rebuilt, a project that took some two years.