Government defends record on drainage improvements following GSD criticism

The Gibraltar Government has responded to recent criticism from the GSD regarding Gibraltar’s drainage and sewage systems, expressing disappointment at what it described as political point-scoring on a longstanding infrastructure issue.

In a statement, the Government highlighted that many parts of Gibraltar’s drainage and sewage systems are over a century old and were left to deteriorate through decades of underinvestment, including during the GSD’s 16 years in office. It claimed that average spending on sewage infrastructure under the GSD was £200,000 per year.

According to the Government, following advice from the Technical Services Department (TSD) upon taking office, it has since increased annual investment to an average of £932,000 over the past 13 years. Works undertaken include desilting, pipe replacement, manhole reconstruction, and major upgrades such as the Europort Avenue system, which increased water retention capacity from 11,000 to 320,000 litres.

Additional infrastructure developments have included new pumping stations at King’s Bastion, Varyl Begg and Beach View Terraces, with further plans underway at Bayside as part of the Eastside Sewage Transfer Scheme.

The Government noted that these initiatives had been detailed in parliamentary responses by the Minister for Technical Services and Infrastructure, Dr John Cortes, which it said went unchallenged at the time.

Addressing GSD claims of widespread flooding, the Government stated that targeted improvements in key areas such as Wellington Front, Jumpers Bastion and Queensway had significantly reduced flood incidents.

It pointed to the lack of flooding during recent heavy rains as evidence of the effectiveness of these works.

The Government also rejected suggestions that civil servants were left “fire-fighting”, stating that TSD professionals were carrying out complex engineering works with expertise and dedication.

The Chief Minister, Fabian Picardo, said: “Politics should be a force for good. A tool to make people’s lives better and to solve the problems that really matter.”

“I still remember the first weekend after taking office having to handle a completely collapsed Line Wall sewer. This was the legacy of the GSD.”

“Gibraltar faces major infrastructure challenges, but if we set aside political cynicism and work together, we can meet them.”