Malta's state of readiness in implementing the EU floods directive : the Wied il-Kbir case study

Abstract

Floods are catastrophic events which leave a general sense of powerlessness in the various sectors of the community when they strike. Although floods cannot be avoided, necessary steps can be taken in order to mitigate against their force, in a bid to protect human life and property. The Maltese Islands, like most European countries, suffer greatly from flooding due to heavy rainfall, which causes serious economic loss, and sometimes even loss of human life. This has been coupled by development which has taken little, if any regard, at least up to recent times, to designate areas as being prone to flooding, and which have different design morphology or were designated as land not to be used for development.