The health of pupils at Mqabba primary school could be damaged by dust and noise from proposed stone crushing and stock piling at a quarry nearby, ADPD - the Green party has said.
According to PA/00350/22, the owners of the quarry on Triq il-Belt Valletta want permission for a proposed recycling activity that includes crushing and stock piling of stone onsite.
At a news conference on Saturday, the ADPD said the activity could damage the physical and mental health of nearby residents.
Melissa Bagley, deputy secretary general for the party, said the children who attend the nearby primary school could be impacted by the dust and noise generated by the activity.
She said the environmental watchdog, ERA, had already stopped the quarry’s operation following repeated complaints from residents.
"We have been informed that until the activity was stopped by ERA, the quarry was operating from as early as 4 o’clock in the morning all day long to as late as 9pm," she said.
"Many residents had submitted their complaints to ERA, who eventually took the necessary action."
Blanketed in dust
The party said that wind often blanketed the school and residences in dust and it raised concerns about how this might affect the respiratory systems of the residents and school children.
It cited a plan published two decades ago that said that planning permits should seek to regulate noise impacts through restricting operating hours and setting permissible maximum noise levels.
It said the Minerals Subject Plan recommended considering prevailing wind direction on such applications.
The party queried why the Environmental Health Directorate has failed to make any submissions on the negative health impacts of noise and dust generated as a result of these operations.
The Environment and Resources Authority (ERA) on the other hand, lists a number of conditions to be adhered to.
Carmel Cacopardo, party leader, questioned why the Education Ministry, which is responsible for the school, has so far remained silent.
“It is utterly unacceptable that commercial operators continue to disregard the residents’ plight. The residents’ quality of life should be prioritized in practice, and not just with meaningless words,” he said.
Representations on the proposed plan can be made until November 18.