A faulty storm water system at T’Alla w Ommu hill was the cause of flooding of the newly-rebuilt Coast Road to flood on Sunday, Transport Malta has said.
A spokesman said rain water was not flowing freely through the old T’Alla w Ommu hill system, which led to overflowing on that stretch of the Coast Road closer to the hill. Building and other debris compounded the situation.
“The older system is currently being upgraded. Once completed, the possibility of such occurrences happening in the future will be minimised,” the spokesman said.
This upgrade, once completed, will minimise the possibility of such occurrences in the future
While the widened Coast Road, dubbed by the transport watchdog as the “most beautiful road in Malta”, was opened for traffic in November, the spokesman noted that works on the project “are still being finished and certified”. These were mainly concentrated in the Salini area and other stretches close to the Coast Road.
Upgrades to the older system at T’Alla w Ommu hill include enlarging a number of gratings and gullies to make them better handle the water flow.
The spokesman said some of the pipework would also be replaced. Both systems at the hill and the Coast Road were continuously being analysed, the spokesman added.
This was the second time in a few weeks that the Coast Road had flooded. Last month, a similar situation occurred when debris from a construction site close to the Salina salt pans and soil from nearby fields and plastic barriers blocked the storm water catch-pits causing flooding.