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Rainwater culverts did not eliminate Balzan flooding problem – AD
Alternattiva Demokratika says the 1997 Balzan Valley Flood Relief Project and rainwater culverts did not eliminate flooding problem.
1 October 2011, 12:00am
Miriam Dalli
Miriam Dalli
2 min read
The Green Party said an urgent flood mitigation strategy was needed in Balzan and said government was not addressing the problem.
“The flooding problem has been with us for ages, and the government has not addressed the problem. The local council had planned to build a reservoir to collect rain water, but it never materialised over a land dispute with the Good Shepard sisters,” AD’s candidate for Balzan’s local council, Andre Vella, said.
Vella said the flood relief project, which dates back to 1997, and the rainwater culverts did not eliminate the flooding problem.
“The Storm Water Relief system promised to build an underground tunnel between Mosta and Msida but it is still in a state of uncertainty,” he added.
“Despite these efforts, last year the foul smelling flooding problem was even greater as we remember cars floating in Balzan Valley. This calls for an urgent flooding mitigation strategy.”
AD’s spokesman for sustainable development Carmel Cacopardo said flooding would get worse in the years to come, as a result of climate change problems.
“Unfortunately, when the Climate Change Adaptation Strategy was drawn up, it did not focus on local impacts,” Cacopardo said.
Cacopardo said that channelling action on Climate Change Adaptation to localities and the regions – in addition to increasing the players on climate change action – would serve to create the foundations for more action regional involvement in disaster preparedness.
He added that the presence of AD in local councils would serve to address this “deficit” by putting in practice the ‘Think Global but act Local’ on environmental issues.
“The Climate Change Adaptation Strategy needs to be given a local and regional dimension: different measures need to be taken at different localities and regions.
“At Balzan and the surrounding localities the impacts of overdevelopment throughout the years need to be addressed urgently. “
Michael Briguglio, AD’s Chairperson, said the AD candidates place residents’ quality of life on top of their agenda.
“The election of Andre Vella in Balzan will help ensure that residents' quality of life is on top of the local council's agenda,” Briguglio said.
Miriam Dalli joined MaltaToday.com.mt in 2010 becoming assistant editor f...
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The Balzan Valley rainwater project may not have eliminated the problem right in the bottom of the valley but it certainly mitigated the problem in the surrouding areas. In Birbal street and Old Railway Rd we were subject to regular flooding especially in our entrances and basements. Since the completion of the project I have not had water flooding my basement in old railway rd and my relatives in Birbal street have not be trapped by flood waters in their house since.
