St George's Bay project expected to be ready for use by mid-June

The first batch of sand for the beach reclamation project in St George's Bay will be arriving from Jordan in the coming days, according to project leader consultant George Micallef.

In all, 3.5 tons of sand will be shipped in two batches, by the Jordanian company Safi Dead Sea Products, in time for people to use the beach by mid-June.

The contract for the provision and transport of the sand is worth around Lm200,000, while the total cost of the entire work is estimated at Lm550,000.

The sand, which will leave Jordan at the end of this week, is being shipped in large bags of one cubic metre capacity each, to eliminate the possibility of spillage and dust dispersal in transport.

A Maltese quality assurance contractor was also in Jordan to ensure that proper testing of the sand had been carried out and all the criteria met prior to the transhipment.

It had taken years to find the right type of sand, which needed to be of a heavy and coarse consistency to ensure it would not be swept away by the sea.

The project has taken a long time to reach fruition and a total of 11 quarries were contacted and 19 sand samples considered before the Jordanian company was chosen.

At the moment work is underway on the culverts at St George's Bay to divert the rainwater to the side of the bay, and the precarious old structures alongside the bay have also been demolished.

The Malta Maritime Authority has also ordered all boats and moorings within 90 metres from the shore to be removed by tomorrow.

Mr Micallef explained that the moorings had to be moved because the sand will now be spread out the length of 25 metres and the bay would become a swimming zone.

The Malta Tourism Authority will also be responsible for the beach management in the summer months.

In October, works would resume on the promenade and the entire project should be wrapped up in time for the following summer.

No cars would be able to park along the road lining the beach, so as to ensure sufficient space for two-way traffic and a three-metre-wide promenade.

Once everything is completed there will be the development and lease of facilities, including a catering outlet, a kiosk and a gazebo for rental of deckchairs and open showers.