The area in front of the Capuchins' Friary on the outskirts of Victoria is well known for its tranquillity and scenic beauty, while at the same time being only minutes away from the bustling centre. This summer however, pungent odours and gases emanating from sewage manholes turned this neighbourhood into the equivalent of a slum.

Various residents, including myself, forwarded our complaints to the Public Cleansing Section under the Department for Projects and Works, and requested that remedial action be taken immediately, since we could tolerate the stench no longer.

To make matters worse, the majority of residents who live in the vicinity of these manholes are senior citizens with health conditions such as asthma, and having to put up with the smell of sewage gases all summer long has started taking a toll on their health.

After numerous telephone calls and complaints, the Public Cleansing Section finally sent some engineers to try and remedy the situation; however the action taken did nothing to solve the problem. In fact, people who attended the feast of Our Lady of Graces a few days ago could be heard complaining about the stench caused by these gases.

This problem has been present for several years, in fact ever since the pipe-work was changed in order for Marsalforn's sewage to be pumped through Victoria. In spite of all the technology and progress, nobody has ever found a concrete solution, and through this wall, we residents continue living in this quandary and being treated like second class citizens instead of being given the dignity we deserve.

S. GRECH

Victoria