Work is underway at Chadwick Lakes on the rebuilding of a rural road. The work, which is being done in collaboration between Infrastructure Malta (IM) and the Energy and Water Agency (EWA), is intended to strengthen the wall of the baths through which rainwater flows. This work also means more solid foundations for the road, to increase safety and accessibility.
Part of the road in the area of Wied il-Qlieħa and in the area of Slampa in Rabat had given up. In recent years, parts of the wall that formed one of the largest basins of water in Chadwick Lakes have given way due to shifting and erosion around its foundations. This caused part of the road that runs right next to this basin to give way so that access from one part to the other of Chadwick Lakes was lost. To avoid the risk of the rest of the wall continuing to give way after a storm, the rest of the wall that holds the road and that forms the dock is being restructured.
The work includes building two rows of ‘piles’ (columns in the ground) which are being used to reinforce the existing ground which forms the side of the dock. A total of 180 ‘piles’ are being built, and they are necessary to offer solid foundations because the geology in this area is characterized by clay and somewhat weak rocks.
During a visit to the site where the works are being carried out by the Minister for the Environment Miriam Dalli and the Minister for Infrastructure Chris Bonett, the CEO of EWA, Manuel Sapiano and the CEO of IM, Steve Ellul explained the ongoing work.
Manuel Sapiano explained that the basin on which the work is going on is up to 35,000 square meters of water, which the surrounding farmers make use of. “The restoration works that are being carried out ensure the health of the road, so that the basin can continue to be used and maintain a volume of water that the agricultural sector can benefit from,” said Mr Sapiano.
Steve Ellul said, “This is a typical project that Infrastructure Malta is pushing forward. An infrastructural project that at the same time gives strong importance to the environment and to sustainability. With a collaboration like this we must continue to strengthen the environment around us.”
The work is being done under the monitoring of the Authority for Environment and Resources and the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage.
