The Infrastructure and Resources Ministry yesterday continued its drive to clear Malta’s watercourses to prevent flooding by digging out tonnes of waste from Attard’s Wied Rmiedi.

The watercourse had been covered over by debris, soil and vegetation, practically covering over the path where waters once naturally flowed through. In fact, workmen have used bulldozers to dig down about four to five feet in an effort to restore the small valley to its original state. In doing so, said Mr Zammit, interesting features such as retaining walls and paved flooring were discovered. Asked how old these features are, Mr Zammit did not commit himself, saying that they were definitely pre-war era – but no one could tell for sure. “They are very old, I’ll tell you that much,” he mused.

Mr Zammit explained that this was a secondary watercourse that eventually led to the Qormi catchment area. “It runs all the way from near the Mount Carmel Hospital in Attard to Ta’ Qali. Every single rain drop that falls in Mdina and thereabouts flows through here,” he explained.

Mr Zammit also pointed out that certain parts of the watercourse were not being completely cleared. “We have left a few small areas that still contain filtration debris. The answer to why we did that is to replenish the aquifer. In doing what we have done, we allow the water to settle in certain parts where natural filtration occurs and water seeps back down into the aquifer – allowing it to replenish,” he said.

During an on-site visit yesterday, Mr Zammit explained that 23 million cubic metres of water were extracted from the aquifer annually. He said that a gang of 10 government employees was carrying out the work using government owned equipment. The specific department is that of The Valley Cleaning and Rehabilitation section – which will also be charged with maintenance of the valleys after they have been cleared out.

“Another plus point is that in carrying out these works, the valleys of Malta will be more accessible to people. Let us not forget that we have carried out similar works all around Malta and will continue to do so,” he said, promising to bring the work plan covering all Malta to the next on-site visit to another valley scheduled for the next week or so.

In addition to the clear out of the valley, the gang is also manually removing the top cover stones from an old watercourse leading to the valley from the Ta’ Qali counting hall. Once the top is removed, debris is removed from inside the watercourse then the stones are replaced. He said that this would prevent the Attard area from flooding in the event of heavy rains in winter.

Mr Zammit said that over the past year a total of four kilometers of valley had been rehabilitated. “But I must point out that the 23,000 tonnes of illegal waste that has been dumped and cleared out over the past 18 months has cost this ministry a total of Lm750,000 that we would have rather spent elsewhere,” he said.

He appealed for people to take a stand against illegal dumping to ensure that government efforts to clean up Malta’s valleys and countryside would not be in vain.