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Left Without Drains For 16 Months Due To Nearby Construction, Maltese Family Forced To Manually Empty Toilets

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Imagine living without a drainage system in your home. For 16 months, it’s been a daily reality for a Maltese family, who have seen court orders ignored while they continue to live in an uninhabitable place that falls below sanitation standards.

Jane*, her husband, and her two young children have gone to the courts, authorities, and even Malta’s Prime Minister, but their urgent requests for assistance have fallen on deaf ears.

“We have nowhere to go. We’re trying to live as normally as possible, but we’re living somewhere that’s completely uninhabitable, and no one wants to help,” Jane told Lovin Malta.

It’s created an unlivable situation where they’ve had to depend on the kindness of family and friends. Without them, she would be lost.

Jane and her family now use buckets to dispose of dirty water, whether it’s from the shower, sink, or toilet. Her family cannot even wash in their own home.

In December 2020, major construction works began on a property next door to Jane’s home. Third-party pipes were damaged during the works cutting off all running water to the house. The site’s architect is Gilbert Bartolo, the brother of Tourism Minister Clayton Bartolo.

The drain pipes rightfully passed through the neighbour’s property and they were willfully removed against the court’s instructions to place them back.

A police report was immediately filed and a civil case was opened. Jane forked out a hefty fee to ensure that the case was heard with urgency.

The case began in February 2021, with a court eventually ruling in Jane’s favour in August, ordering the developers to rectify the issue within the space of one month.

Six months later and Jane and her family are still without water with the developers and appointed articles failing to follow court orders. The courts have been notified repeatedly, but still nothing has happened.

The owner of the site, a Chinese national, left the country on 17th December 2021, having got approval from the court to continue her studies abroad. She may never return and Jane fears that her situation will never be solved.

Jane and her husband have forked out thousands in court fees and other expenses and simply do not have the funds to up and leave the home with their two children.

“No one has helped no matter how many times we ask,” she said.

Jane has sent personal emails to Prime Minister Robert Abela, who has seemingly ignored the request for help from the young Maltese family.

“People are not following the law, breaking court orders. and we are the ones suffering,” she said.

Jane is now at her wit’s end, having gone through the entire legal process and proper channels only to see little to no results. One day without running water is annoying to many, 16 months is a never-ending nightmare, with Jane’s family left abandoned by authorities in their moment of need.

What do you think of the lack action?

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Julian is the former editor of Lovin Malta and has a particular interest in politics, the environment, social issues, and human interest stories.

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