Growing pains for St Paul’s Bay: sewage, rubbish and construction

With the villages of Bugibba and Qawra, the Xemxija area, and Burmarrad and Wardija incorporated into its political district, St Paul’s Bay’s population has exploded from just 7,392 in 1995, to 14,481 in the last demographic review.

But a latest estimate from statistics from the Department of Social Security and the latest electoral register suggests the population now stands at 19,652, surpassing Mosta as the second most populated town after Birkirkara.

Now the pressures from its demographic boom are beginning to be felt: “The biggest challenge that both the council and the parish church are facing is social: dealing with different cultures and mentalities, mixed with some family problems,” Galea told MaltaToday.

The 2005 census found 29% of St Paul’s Bay’s households were living alone, fuelled in part by the search for cheap apartments for separated persons or foreigners to reside. Indeed, with 14% of its population consisting of expats, it is Malta’s most cosmopolitan of villages, with Britons accounting for half of this group.

So while tourism has been St Paul’s Bay main attraction, Galea says this priority is changing. Many of the old summer residences are being demolished and changed into apartment blocks. “Many new apartment blocks have been constructed over the past 15 years in Bugibba and Qawra, and are now being slowly inhabited.”

The last census puts St Paul’s Bay’s holiday homes at 4,467 but it also has another 4,295 vacant properties. At the same time, between the years 2000-2006 it was issued with the greatest number of planning permits for new dwellings: 4,249.

“The holiday homes are lived in only during the summer. This means we reach an estimated 70,000 people in this season,” Galea says.

One major concerns the wastewater (drainage) system. “The system which was installed several years ago was never intended to cater for so many residents and visitors, and sooner rather than later it will have to be improved to cater for the requirements of an ever increasing population.”

And this means the council must also see to the regular upkeep and cleanliness of streets. Galea says some residents still ignore the rubbish collection schedule by disposing of their rubbish whenever and wherever they feel like. That’s why the council has employed eco-wardens, and has plans for the reconstruction of 50 streets from central government.