No fines for polluters despite frequent contamination in St George’s, Balluta bays

No fines have been issued to any third parties responsible for constant contamination in Paceville’s St George’s Bay and Balluta Bay in Sliema.

The two bays are often subject to warnings from the Environmental Health Directorate, with the most recent being last May.

The health authorities warned of the presence of E.Coli and I.Enterococci in water samples taken from the respective bays.

These bacteria are indicators of fecal contamination in water bodies and can lead to many infections and diseases in humans. The bacteria can also be harmful for marine life, as they risk disrupting local ecosystems.

St George's Bay (File photo)

Last month, the Water Services Corporation (WSC) clarified that the contamination in St George’s Bay was not caused by failure of the sewage network but was the result of “blockages due to third-party activities and improper waste disposal by said third parties into water culverts which shouldn’t be used for such use.”

MaltaToday asked the environment watchdog, the Environment and Resources Authority (ERA), how many fines were issued to the third parties mentioned by the WSC. The authority said that it did not issue any fines, noting that, “bathing water quality is regulated by the Environmental Health Directorate (EHD) not ERA.”

ERA also said that it was “contributing to investigations being led by the respective entities.”

Despite this, a spokesperson from the Health Ministry under which the EHD falls, also made no mention of fines issued to third party polluters.

The spokesperson explained that with regards to St George’s Bay, the EHD’s investigations show that a private property was found to have defective lower house drains. “After it was fixed, the bathing water quality improved considerably, and the warning was lifted.”

“The case for Saint George’s Bay in St Julians was solved and closed,” the spokesperson said.

The situation is different in Sliema’s Balluta Bay however, as at the time of writing, the bay is still closed for swimmers as it has been since 21 May. The spokesperson told this newspaper that the source of the pollution is still unknown, as EHD and WSC investigations are still ongoing.

“The cleaning of the rainwater tunnel which leads to the sandy beach of Balluta is being carried out to determine the point from where the overflow is occurring,” the spokesperson said.

They explained that the EHD elevates weekly samples from 87 bathing sites during the official bathing season to monitor the situation, while stating that, “contaminations cannot be predicted.”

‘Residents can’t swim in their own locality anymore’

MaltaToday also spoke to PN district MP Albert Buttigieg, who had been vocal about the issue.

Buttigieg was livid that year after year, no matter how many times these bays are closed for swimmers, no responsibility is shouldered by polluters.

Speaking specifically on Sliema’s Balluta Bay, Buttigieg questioned whether the prolonged closure was intentional, as he noted that this could be an attempt to declare the bay as a no swimming zone, opening the door for commercial activities in the water.

Nationalist MP Albert Buttigieg

“I don’t want to sound like a conspiracy theorist, but similar things have happened,” the MP said.

Buttigieg expressed the frustration of Sliema and St Julian’s residents specifically.

“They’re bombarded 24/7 with constant construction and traffic, and at night they must listen to loud music from different venues. Now they can’t even swim in their own locality anymore,” he said.