15 bathing sites across Malta and Gozo classified as ‘poor’ quality

Fifteen popular bathing sites across Malta and Gozo have been identified as “poor” quality by the Environmental Health Directorate (EHD), yet the EHD has failed to issue any warnings to the public advising them to avoid swimming in these areas as the summer season kicks off.

Out of a total of 87 bathing sites assessed by the EHD across the Maltese Islands, eight poor quality sites are in Gozo, while the other seven are in Malta.

As required by the EU’s Bathing Water Directive, the EHD must regularly assess these sites to determine how much faecal bacteria is detected in water samples.

In Gozo, the largest cluster of poor quality samples was collected from beaches in and around the Marsalforn and Żebbuġ area, namely Qbajjar, Marsalforn Bay, and Għar Qawqla. In Malta, Ġnejna Bay and Għajn Tuffieħa formed the largest cluster.

The other sites that the EHD classified as poor quality are the left side of Golden Bay, the area near the Tunnara Museum just up the road from Għadira Bay, both sides of Balluta Bay, Mġarr ix-Xini, Ramla Bay, Daħlet Qorrot, and Ħondoq ir-Rummien.

As for the remaining 87 sites, five samples (taken in Għar Aħmar Bay, Mistra Bay, Pembroke Pool, and on both sides of St George’s Bay) were described as “sufficient” in quality, while the rest were described as “excellent”.

Overall, almost a fifth (17%) of the tested sites were considered of poor quality.

According to the EU’s Bathing Water Directive, member states that identify bathing sites with poor water quality should “take certain measures”, including banning bathing or advising against it, providing information to the public, and taking suitable corrective action.

While the EHD regularly published its water quality testing results on social media, no suitable corrective action appears to have been publicly announced, and no bans or health warnings accompany its publication.

This contrasts with several instances in which the EHD did issue such bans, such as in Sliema, Mellieħa, and Xlendi, as recently as last summer.

In particular, untreated sewage leaks directly into the sea and remains a cause for concern because the country’s infrastructure struggles to keep up with demand.

In October 2024, the European Commission took Malta to court for its failure to fulfil its obligations regarding the treatment of wastewater before it is discharged into the sea, with an EU Commission representative being quoted by the press earlier this year confirming that Malta remains in breach of those obligations.

In an attempt to tackle the issue and counter an increasingly widespread perception that the country’s waste systems are inadequate, Environment Minister Miriam Dalli announced that Malta had been granted €86 million in EU funding to invest in Malta’s infrastructure as part of a 10-year upgrade plan.

A significant chunk of this investment – €33 million – went toward upgrading the sewage treatment plant in Mellieħa, which is located in an area known as taċ-Ċumnija.

In July last year, the treatment plant, which has a long history of untreated sewage leaks in the surrounding sea, once more became a political flashpoint as the Nationalist Party accused the government of circumventing its obligations by removing the coastal area’s legal status as a sensitive area meriting special protection.

The government did not explicitly deny this was the case at the time, pointing instead towards its 10-year upgrade plan as proof of its commitment to addressing the issue. Construction work on the new plant is yet to begin, with planning permits now in place for the next phase.

Concerns about the quality of Malta’s bathing sites are further compounded by the recurring presence of sea slime from fish farms.

During last summer alone, news reports covered multiple instances in which slime polluted several bays, including incidents near St Paul’s Bay, Buġibba, and Marsaskala, with residents and activists protesting against the institutional failure to adequately hold the powerful industry to account.

Operators continue to deny responsibility for the issue.