The Water Services Corporation (WSC) said that it has suspended the New Water production in Gozo.
In a statement on Thursday, the WSC said that this follows illegal discharges of farm slurry into the public sewer network disrupted operations at the island’s sewage treatment plant.
The WSC warned that ”the dumping of farm slurry into the public sewer is a breach of applicable waste and water regulations and causes direct harm to critical national infrastructure. Anyone caught doing so will be processed for damages.”
The Corporation explained that farm slurry carries an extremely high organic load and cannot be safely introduced into the standard sewer network.
WSC said that it already operates a dedicated facility in Gozo specifically for the lawful reception and treatment of farm waste, which is open to the farming sector five to six days per week. ”Despite this, farm waste has been entering the sewer network through the urban drainage system, bypassing the controlled intake process entirely.”
The WSC pointed out that photos from the Gozo facility show farm slurry solids in the fine-screen area, confirming the scale of the contamination. ”Production of New Water is fully halted to prevent further damage to membranes.”
WSC added that it will continue to monitor the situation and provide further updates.
Anyone with information about illegal farm waste dumping is encouraged to report it anonymously by contacting WSC’s Customer Care Centre on 80076400.
Photos: WSC