Alleged Oil Pumping From Kalkara Bastions Sparks Online Outrage
A video uploaded to Facebook shows what appears to be oil being pumped out under the Fort Ricasoli bastions, a couple of steps away from the sea.
“I was swimming there, behind the tank cleaning farm at Ricasoli near the outer side of the breakwater, with some tourists and locals at around 4pm when it happened,” the uploader told Lovin Malta. “Police Sergeant Grech from Bormla, Transport Malta and ERA (Environment and Resources Authority) were on sight yesterday. We were all called out of the sea by the ERA who came on site when it happened. Even people fishing with harpoons out at sea were called back to land.”
According to the people who were there, the liquid does indeed appear to be oil. Lovin Malta reached out to the ERA, who confirmed they were on site yesterday and said are currently investigating the matter.
People have also commented saying this has been going on for years now. One person said a very similar video was posted on Facebook in 2015, while another person said they’ve been chasing the authorities to do something about this particular case for at least three years now.
“Not a lot of people go there to swim, and I shudder to think what happens in winter and at night,” the original uploader concluded.
Lovin Malta has also reached out to the Malta Police Force for a statement.
The video was shared nearly 6,000 times, gathering over 130K views.