The Environmental Health Directorate within the Office of the Superintendent of Public Health has confirmed that the temporary swimming ban at Dawret il-Qawra, St Paul’s Bay, has been lifted after recent tests showed bathing water quality has returned to safe levels.
On 22 August, the Directorate had issued a precautionary notice advising the public against swimming in the area beneath Qawra Coast Road, following reports of contaminated water overflow from the rocks. The incident had raised concerns over potential health risks to swimmers, and warning signs were placed on site.
Authorities have since identified and resolved the source of contamination, though the duration of pollution remained unclear at the time of the advisory. Environmental Health Officers continued to monitor the situation through repeated sampling in line with the Bathing Water Directive.
Fresh tests carried out in recent days confirmed that seawater from the site, identified between sampling points C29 and C30 beneath Dawret il-Qawra, is once again fit for bathing. As a result, the health warning has been withdrawn, and the area has been officially reopened to swimmers.
The Environmental Health Directorate is encouraging the public to stay informed by visiting its official website environmentalhealth.gov.mt, the Bathing Water Portal, or the Directorate’s Facebook page. For further queries, the public may contact the Directorate on 2133 7333 during office hours or via email at wrau.ehd@gov.mt.
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