Alternattiva Demokratika chairperson Harry Vassallo yesterday said the response of the Department of Information to the Green Party’s concern about waste water at the perched beach in Bugibba was a display of arrogance “in the style and tradition the country has come to expect”.

“Accusing Alternattiva Demokratika of endangering the tourism sector whenever it points to threats to bathing water quality has been the official knee-jerk for at least 18 years,” Dr Vassallo said. ”In the past we have had government ministers swimming in polluted waters to prove us wrong, with the same ministry subsequently spending millions to repair the faults which actually existed. In this case we will consider legal action against the DOI which has abused its position of authority to make a partisan attack on our credibility,” Dr Vassallo said.

“The facts of the matter are documented by the wetland vegetation generated on the site of the perched beach prior to its installation in view of the constant and reliable flow of waste water onto the beach,” Dr Vassallo said. “It is absurd to claim that such a volume of water was generated from the adjacent boathouses alone or from a rain water culvert,” he added.

“The fact that such an evident problem persisted after the installation of the perched beach clearly indicates that the problem was not appropriately addressed in the rushed project,” Dr Vassallo said.