On Monday night, two crucial water boosting stations located in Naxxar and Siġġiewi suffered power cuts, resulting in a water outage for residents and businesses in several areas.
The localities affected included Għargħur, Naxxar, Iklin, Swieqi, Madliena, Mosta, San Ġwann, and Siġġiewi. The taps ran dry around 9 pm on Monday, and by 10:30 am on Tuesday, many homes were still awaiting the restoration of their water supply.
According to a Water Services Corporation spokesperson, the water supply was disrupted due to electricity shortages experienced at the boosting stations in Naxxar and the limits of Siġġiewi at San Niklaw.
These boosting stations are vital as they utilize electricity to increase water pressure and flow in elevated regions. The Naxxar boosting station went offline at approximately 9:30 pm on Monday and was not restored until 8 am on Tuesday.
Similarly, the San Niklaw station experienced a power shortage at 5 am on Tuesday and regained power at 9:30 am. As of 10:30 am, the water supply was slowly being restored, and the spokesperson estimated that it would take around two to three hours to fully reinstate the service.
Fortunately, the reverse osmosis plants in Għar Lapsi and the limits of Siġġiewi, as well as Pembroke, remained unaffected and continued to function properly.
This incident occurred amidst an ongoing heatwave, leading to an increased demand for electricity. On Monday, Enemalta reported a record demand of 649MW for electricity due to the scorching temperatures prevailing in Malta for a week now.
This water outage marks the eighth consecutive night of power outages reported in various areas, further exacerbating the challenges faced during this heatwave.
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