Speaking during a visit to the watercourse project in Qormi, Mr Zammit said that work was progressing well and that the funds allocated by the EU’s Solidarity Fund were being put to good use.

He said that various studies had been carried out before the work began and it was good to see the actual project in progress. The main aim of this project, he said, was to ensure that Malta never again experiences the floods that occurred on 15 September last year.

The work involves widening the existing watercourse, lining it with stone retaining walls and replacing old bridges with bigger, more modern ones to allow a better flow of storm water. Mr Zammit said that work was not only being carried out in the Marsa and Qormi areas. “We are also carrying out work in the Burmarrad area to dredge and clear out the natural valley that has been blocked up over the years,” he said.

Apart from the Burmarrad project, government was also planning to dredge the Salini area, to get rid of the foul smells there, and also to dredge Marsa harbour.

He said that he expected the first phase of the Qormi/Marsa project, which will cover a 1,500 metre stretch of watercourse, to be completed by the autumn.