The European Commission will be taking the Maltese government to court over the dumping of tonnes of dirty water into surrounding waters.

In a press release, the European Commission said that Malta has failed to follow the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive even though it should have been fully compliant way back in 2007. 

The Commission first sent a letter of formal notice to Malta in 2016. And while some progress has been made, Maltese authorities have not yet fully addressed the issues. 

Malta’s main issue is the performance of waste water treatment plants, with waste water leaving the plants failing to meet quality requirements. 

The plant of major concern is the Ic-Cumnija plant, better known as the ‘Malta North’ agglomeration, since the waters are being dumped in a sensitive area. 

“This situation is mainly due to the discharge of farmyard waste (animal manure) into the municipal waste water system, a long-standing problem in Malta, which hampers the performance of the treatment plants and for which the authorities have not yet found solutions,” the Commission said. 

Untreated waste water can be contaminated with bacteria and viruses and thus presents a risk to human health. It also contains nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus which can damage freshwaters and the marine environment, by promoting excessive growth of algae that chokes other life, a process known as eutrophication.

On social media, PN chief spokesperson Peter Agius said that the government spent around 60 million in EU funds to get in line, noting that it takes expertise and political will to make use of the funds.

“We have entered Europe to better standards. We all want a beautiful, pollution-free sea,” he said.