Summary
The Gozo Aqueduct is an aqueduct on the island of Gozo, Malta. It was built by the British between 1839 and 1843 to transport water from Għar Ilma in the limits of Kerċem to Victoria.[1] A reservoir was built within the ditch of the Cittadella to store water which most probably stored water coming from the Cittadella itself.[2] An obelisk was built near the reservoirs to commemorate the opening of the aqueduct.[3]
Gozo Aqueduct | |
|---|---|
 A surviving section of the Gozo Aqueduct in Victoria | |
| Coordinates | 36°2′56.5″N 14°13′38.4″E / 36.049028°N 14.227333°E |
| Begins | Kerċem |
| Ends | Victoria |
| History | |
| Construction start | 1839 |
| Opened | 1843 |
| Location | |
 | |
The aqueduct fell into a state of disrepair after it was replaced by a system of pipes and electrical pumps.[3] Large sections of it were lost in a series of collapses, the latest of which occurred during a storm in the 1980s.[4] Despite this, significant portions of the aqueduct's arches still stand,[3] and they are regarded to have value as a ruin.[4]
In 2019, it was reported that the Ministry for Gozo had plans to reconstruct the entire aqueduct, a project which would have involved the dismantling of the surviving arches. The project's planning application was suspended after opposition by the Superintendence for Cultural Heritage and the Environment and Resources Authority.[4]
See also edit
References edit
- ^ Rix, Juliet (2015). Malta and Gozo. Bradt Travel Guides. p. 296. ISBN 9781784770259.
- ^ "Ditch – Cittadella" (PDF). National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands. 28 June 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 May 2022.
- ^ a b c "Aqueducts". Visit Gozo. Archived from the original on 11 October 2015.
- ^ a b c Debono, James (25 April 2019). "Plan to rebuild Gozo aqueduct hits a snag". Malta Today. Archived from the original on 26 April 2019.