St Paul’s Bay residents have described their locality as a “dump” and a “favela” while an increasing rat population runs through bin bag-littered streets.

“We want to show our anger at how the area is being run,” ADPD leader and St Paul’s Bay resident Sandra Gauci told Times of Malta.

“There are too many people crammed together so we need order,” Gauci said, explaining that the St Paul’s Bay locality holds some 40,000 people making it one of the most densely populated areas on the island. And, in summer, that number only increases as tourists flock there.

This has led to public hygiene taking a steep decline as organic and general waste bags are left out on their unallocated days, leading to the area becoming a breeding ground for rats.

“We want our residence to be top-notch, especially since tourists come here,” fellow resident Rosemarie Calleja said.

While residents recognise the uphill battle the local council faces with their large community, Calleja said that the council is not representing its people.

In agreement, Gauci added that whatever the local council is doing, they are not transparent enough, which makes it hard to recognise their work.

Malta ‘lacks enforcement’ 

“The local council has kept mum on all these issues,” she said, pleading for the local council to “do its job” and “represent the people”.

Tomorrow at 6pm, Gauci and Calleja along with other residents will be protesting the state of their town. The protest, ‘St Paul’s Deserves Better’, will be held in Buġibba Square.

“There are many people that talk on Facebook but we would like to meet these people,” Calleja said.

Speaking to Times of Malta, St Paul’s Bay mayor Alfred Grima voiced his own concerns about the situation.

“The council is trying its best… we clean an area twice in one week and, in a day or two, it is a big mess again,” he said, also noting that the area’s enormous population has created many challenges for the council and its responsibilities.

Residents have volunteered in the past to help clean up the streets but Grima said that these issues will only be solved when the law is truly enforced.

“I have no problem saying that Malta lacks enforcement,” he said, especially referring to the lack of emphasis on green wardens as the area suffers from littering and organic waste left on the pavement.