Mepa, WasteServ commission preliminary study

I would like to comment on recent contributions by Lino Bugeja about land reclamation.

The issue of creating land through deposition of material into the marine environment, so-called land reclamation, has been receiving incremental attention over the last few years as a potential solution to tackle the issue of increasing construction and demolition waste.

The idea of creating new land territory sounds appealing for a small island state with a total land area of 315 square kilometres and having one of the highest population densities in the world.

The quick-fix-solution approach is the traditional reactive way associated with a short-term vision. If the issue of disposing construction and demolition waste is to be addressed on a national scale there is a need for a national and holistic strategy based on scientific information and understanding of the national context. This will ensure that any action taken will not have detrimental and undesirable effects on natural processes as well as economic activities within the coastal and marine environment. One should also not discard the option of reducing and recycling construction waste in the first instance.

The links between natural processes are not easily perceived. The bathymetry and coastal configuration influence currents and water movement which, in turn, affect the development and maintenance of coastal habitats. Good water quality is maintained by healthy benthic habitats dominated by sea grasses and algae as they emit oxygen through photosynthesis. In turn these provide for rich communities of animal species to survive and thrive within them.

For Malta good water quality is important for a number of socio- economic activities: provision of potable water through desalination plants, provision for a good tourism and recreation product, in terms of bathing water, and the provision of suitable environment for fish to thrive. Changes in bathymetry or even reduction of light intensity may affect important coastal as well as benthic habitats and fishing grounds.

Summer is the right time to observe how exhaustively we use the marine environment with thousands flocking to the coast, day and night, seeking refuge from the warm weather. Every single stretch of coast that allows access to the sea is taken up for bathing, barbecues, launching of boats, surfing, sailing, camping... the demand is endless.

Large numbers of boats seek bays and enclaves along the less accessible shores in search for a refuge from the crowded beaches. Others seek the underwater thrills; the contribution of the diving sector to the tourism industry is indisputable. New niches, including yachting and sailing, are also seeking to promote the Maltese islands as a hub for their particular sport, requesting space along the coast for onshore facilities and space at sea to undertake their activity.

The major harbours, dominated by port activities, are also being used for tourism purposes through marina development and cruise liner terminals. The sea around the Maltese islands is also used for large-scale commercial activities, including shipping and bunkering as well as aquaculture, all of which demand substantial space and all have a role in the national economy. Offshore reefs, which provide suitable fishing grounds, are used for bunkering operations and suggestions have also been made to earmark them as ideal locations for wind farm installations.

Land reclamation projects will also normally seek the shallow areas whether along the coast (bays/harbours) or offshore reefs, to reduce financial costs associated with construction.

Any decision to promote land reclamation and actually implement it will have to be undertaken within the national context of the important role that the marine environment has for Malta on an environmental as well as socio-economic level. An integrated strategy allows for this, although some degree of prioritisation is inevitable as not all activities can be suitably accommodated within the limits of our marine resources.

Mepa's policy with respect to the deposition of construction and demolition of waste in the marine environment is set out in the Position Paper on Disposal of Waste at Sea, part of the Waste Management Subject Plan (2001). Dumping at sea shall be avoided as far as is practicably possible and shall only be acceptable when land-based alternatives have been exhausted and it can be demonstrated to be the Best Practicable Environmental Option (BPEO). Disposal should be carried out only at official dumpsites, which require development and environmental permits and an EIA to assess the environmental impacts.

This position is based on the international treaties regulating dumping at sea, to which Malta is a signatory (the London Dumping Convention, the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and the Barcelona Convention and their respective protocols). These have three things in common:

Inert, inorganic, geological material may be considered for disposal at sea;

Permission should be given for dumping only after careful selection of a dumping site, taking account of location in relation to depth, distance from the coast, rate of disposal, hydrographic and bathymetric characteristics, effects on amenities (particularly tourism), marine life, legitimate sea uses including fisheries.

Disposal at sea will not remove the need to reduce waste generation, i.e. dumping at sea should be considered as a last resort.

With the accession into the European Union, new environmental obligations have come on board that will influence any decision to be taken forward.

Mepa's Coastal Strategy Topic Paper (approved 2002) considered the dumping of waste at sea and land reclamation in relation to the other coastal and marine uses that have demands for space and resources within these environments. The topic paper concludes that:

The disposal of inert waste in coastal waters is likely to have significant impacts on the health of the marine environment, including water quality. Moreover, it will conflict with other uses including fisheries (degradation of fishing grounds and impact on migratory species within the Fisheries Management Zone extending 25nm from baselines), tourism, desalination plants and aquaculture (through degradation of water quality) and navigation and bunkering (through changes in bathymetry and changes in navigational routes).

The Maltese islands' small size and the intensity of coastal uses may limit the possibility of such option within the vicinity of the coastal waters.

On land reclamation, the topic paper cautions against the costs associated with it not just in terms of environmental impacts and effects on coastal and marine uses, but also financially. The much referred to airport at Lantau Island in Honk Kong was estimated to cost $20 billion.

The next step is to take these concerns forward and put the proposal for land reclamation to the challenge provided by our local environmental and socio-economic context.

To this effect, Mepa and WasteServ have joined forces to commission a preliminary study by an international consulting firm to look into the feasibility of undertaking land reclamation locally. This is an initial step to indicate what the real options are. This study should be complete by end November.

Dr Cassar is Director General, Mepa.