Stormwater from Mercury Tower spilling into Paceville side street
Stormwater from Malta’s tallest building is being discharged into a Paceville side street as works to channel it to the sea remain more than a year away from being completed.
The water is regularly discharging from a hose coming out of a grate on Triq Gort, close to St George’s Road and construction magnate Joseph Portelli’s newly unveiled Mercury Tower project.
Locals said the water is making the pavement slippery and dangerous to walk on.
Infrastructure Malta said it is working on a new stormwater system for the whole area, with works currently under way on a road nearby. However, with the system not due to be completed until next year, the water flow seems, for the time being, here to stay.
Resident Enrico Bradamante told Times of Malta he was fed up with having to walk through the water on his way to work, which he said was being discharged regularly into the street.
“The water is coming out for several minutes at a time. This isn’t what should be happening in a first-world country,” he said.
“It’s not pleasant; the water smells bad and the street surface becomes slippery,” said Bradamante, adding the water appeared to have chemicals in it, suggesting it could have been used for cleaning.
Sources said that while works had taken place two years ago to increase the capacity of the stormwater pipes under Triq Gort, there was no solution to dispose of the water elsewhere.
The rainwater at Mercury Tower is collected in reservoirs before being emptied into a culvert when the reservoirs are full, eventually ending up in the Paceville side street.
When contacted, Mercury Tower architect David Muscat confirmed the stormwater was coming from the development but stressed it was coming from all of St George’s Road and not just the tower.
He said J. Portelli Projects had installed the hose and a connecting pump to help take the water out of the cistern below the street and prevent it from stagnating but wanted the authorities to provide a more permanent solution.
“A long-term solution is urgently needed; we don’t want to create a nuisance for anybody,” he said, adding all water works including the installation of the pump had been in line with Infrastructure Malta guidelines and permits.
Responding to questions, Infrastructure Malta CEO Ivan Falzon said the agency was currently implementing a holistic stormwater system for the whole area, with works currently under way in Triq Paceville.
Falzon said the works had been proposed in November by the Public Works Department and, when completed, will connect St George’s Road to Triq Paceville via Triq Gort and to Triq il-Wilġa before finally being emptied into the sea.
“The works are expected to take a total of 14 months, spread in phases to minimise disruptions in the area,” Falzon said.
According to the permit for the Mercury Tower development, stormwater from the site is not allowed to be routed into the public sewage system operated by the Water Services Corporation (WSC).
When asked if the outflow system being built would fall under the remit of WSC, Falzon said it would be the responsibility of St Julian’s local council, which would be tasked with its maintenance and upkeep.