Residents and shop owners of Birkirkara Road, St Julian’s who have had to bear the brunt of dust particles for months on end due to an EU-funded WSC project are going to have to be patient for a little longer since works are to be concluded in the coming weeks.

Besides, flushing down the dust with water to mitigate the problem is not possible since the road is still accessible to vehicular traffic, a spokesperson for the Water Services Corporation told this newsroom.

Currently, an EU-funded project is under way in the said road which stretches to San Gwann. The aim of the project is to reduce its carbon footprint.  The project consists in the laying of new pipelines between reservoirs so that certain areas will be fed by gravity rather than pumping water using energy.

Several complaints were made to this newsroom while the works were in process, mainly because the dust particles were not being watered down.

This newsroom sent questions to the ministries concerned, specifically asking when the tarmac will be laid and whether they would be mitigating the dust problem.

A WSC spokesman said: “The pipeline in this area has been laid and the trench has been backfilled. Mitigating the dust problem was not possible due to traffic, as the road has remained accessible to vehicles. Reinstatement of the whole area is expected to be completed in the coming weeks.”

The spokesman said that the corporation regrets any inconvenience this project may have caused to residents of the area.

Last month, the newly elected mayor of St Julian’s Karl Gouder had expressed concern over the 'mess' in Birkirkara Road and had called an urgent meeting with the concerned authorities.