Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/713415
2 maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 10 AUGUST 2016 News FREE WITH MALTATODAY THIS SUNDAY Arterial road collapse in Lija leads to detour MATTHEW AGIUS MOTORISTS travelling to Lija from Mosta face a considerable detour in the coming days, fol- lowing the collapse of a section of the arterial road, linking the two localities. Transport Malta issued a warning to motorists yester- day afternoon, urging drivers to avoid using Mosta Road, in the Lija-bound direction, as it had been temporarily closed as a re- sult of the collapse. The cause of the cave-in was explained to be due to a consid- erable leak in an underground pipe belonging to the Water Ser- vices Corporation. The stream of water that subsequently leaked out is thought to have eroded enough of the underlying mate- rial to create a void beneath the road surface, leading to the for- mation of a sinkhole nearly five feet in depth. The carriageway from Mosta towards Lija was closed to traf- fic for safety reasons yesterday, leaving motorists no option but to make a two-kilometre detour. Sources say the damage is ex- pected to take "at least two days" to be repaired. Transport Malta has urged drivers to avoid the area and seek alternative routes from Naxxar and Ta' Qali, until the necessary works are carried out. Vessels collide in Grand Harbour, two men escape unharmed TWO men fell overboard when two vessels collided in Grand Harbour yesterday. According to media reports, no one was seriously injured in the accident which occurred at around 12:10pm at Laboratory Wharf, Valletta. The collision took place be- tween a small craft, believed to be used by fish farms, and a sig- nificantly larger vessel. Measures were taken to pre- vent seawater contamination af- ter the small vessel capsized. After a year of works, Ta' Qali animal clinic set to open next month MIRIAM DALLI THE animal welfare centre in Ta' Qali is due to open next month, a year after the service was suspended in order for the new operator to revamp the San Frangisk clinic. A spokesperson for the parlia- mentary secretariat for animal rights told MaltaToday that the animal hospital will be officially opened by "mid-to-end Septem- ber". The service at San Frangisk was taken over by Animal Pro- Health Ltd, after winning a ten- der to convert the clinic into a hospital. Sharing photos of the hospital on Facebook, junior minister Roderick Galdes de- scribed the project as "Malta's first veterinary hospital of inter- national standards". During a media visit to the hospital in June, director Keith Attard had told MaltaToday that 15 employees had already been hired and were undergoing training at private clinics. However, whilst the new op- erator had indicated that the hospital would be fully operative in July, the deadline was missed. The project had already been set back after the new private operator discovered severe dam- age to the building's drainage system, which was fixed at a cost of around €600,000 to repair. The Ta' Qali hospital will be open 24/7 and will cater for up to 109 animals at a time. It will consist of orthopaedic and soft tissue surgery rooms, X-Ray rooms, recovery rooms, a labo- ratory, and a lecture room for MCAST students. Strays and pets will be treated in separate operation and recovery rooms. Pet owners will be able to choose from 'silver, gold or plati- num care packages', that will be based on factors such as whether their animals will stay at the hospital overnight or require 24/7 nursing. Part of Mosta Road towards Lija collapsed due to a burst water main The hospital in Ta' Qali will operate around the clock