A court yesterday heard how the drainage problem at Balluta Bay was caused by a fault in an old main sewer that had been forgotten when a new sewage master plan was set up 10 years ago.

Court expert Valerio Schembri was testifying before magistrate Jacqueline Padovani, in the case initiated last month by the Health Department against Water Services Corporation (WSC) chairman Michael Falzon.

The WSC is being charged with allowing a stoppage to develop in a mains sewer which eventually led to drainage seeping into Balluta Bay in St Julian's.

The bay was closed for bathing on 13 August when raw effluent was seeping into the sea and was reopened on 29 August after tests showed it was safe again.

However, on 4 September, the Health Department issued another warning and once again closed the bay to bathers.

Last Tuesday, the court heard how both parties agreed that the main problem stemmed from a particular manhole, especially after tests confirmed that the leakage originated from there.

However, the Health Department said that the manhole was filled with sewage and, as a result, was the WSC’s responsibility. In turn, the WSC claimed that this manhole was not on their maps and that it was a water culvert that was not used for drainage which was causing the problem.

As a result, magistrate Padovani ordered Mr Schembri to examine this manhole.

Mr Schembri told the court that that officials from the Health Department and the WSC cooperated together find a solution to the situation.

When the manhole was opened, they found that it was an old mains sewer that branched into various parts of Balluta.

Furthermore, said Mr Schembri, it was not listed in the WSC’s maps because it had been forgotten.

He explained that there was a new sewage master plan in the area in 1995 and that was when this old main sewer must have been erased from the maps.

Mr Schembri pointed out that around 50 tankers-full of sewage had been removed from the manhole, allowing workers to get a clearer look into the mains sewer.

He added that further investigations are needed before the old sewer is closed for good, as it had to be ensured that no households were connected to it.

The case was put off to Wednesday

Principal Health Inspectors John Attard Kingswell and Malcolm David Micallef are prosecuting while Dr Guido Pace Spadaro appeared for the WSC.

See also: Prime Minister should assume responsibility for leak – Dr Sant