Waste-treatment plants

We take umbrage at what I.M. Beck chose to write in his contribution (February 12). When referring to the "new waste-treatment plants" he wrote: "Giving the NIMBYs and NIMBYettes a wide open field into which to dump their own brand of groan".

Before the contributor hastily puts pen to paper, he should get to know the facts properly rather than fire recklessly from his hips, slinging mud in the process. Our non-political movement, that was originally founded to protect the Wied tal-Maghluq tal-Bahar nature reserve in Marsascala is made up of academics, researchers and blue-collar workers, who, voluntarily meet after work to concretely discuss and propose issues that affect our rights as Maltese and European Union citizens.

We are not regarding, as he may conveniently imply, the Sant'Antnin waste-treatment plant issue as yet another part of the NIMBY syndrome but rather as our valid contribution to formulate opinions and viewpoints, as citizens positively participating for the well-being of the public, that have been shunned, sidelined or ignored by the powers that be in this case. Just as it is opportune for our politicians to barrage our letterboxes with propaganda ephemera in election time, they should also inform us, through proper public consultation meetings, with the concurrent proposals and developments on the issue at stake. Instead, we only had a measly one-hour fait accompli meeting that the Minister of Environment afforded us, due to what he termed other appointments.

If I.M. Beck had made the effort of enquiring about who constitutes our committee he would have easily found out that some of our members are seasoned environmentalists who have shown public concern about proposed projects, such as the Rabat golf course or the Gozo airstrip, which would have left a negative impact on the natural environment of these islands.

Some of our committee members had also, in the past, written on numerous occasions to the then Planning Authority to schedule properties, street furniture and open spaces, such as in Qormi, Sliema and Attard, that were threatened by unscrupulous developers before local plans and Urban Conservation Areas (UCA) came into force in the respective localities.

On what criteria do we become "groaners"? Is it because we happen to live in godforsaken Marsascala and not on some High Street where it was considered opportune and, rightly so, to rally irate housewives to take to the streets, drumming on empty buckets because of lack of water back in the 1980s? Where does democracy begin and where does it end?

We, as a movement, are definitely in favour of recycling concepts and the streamlining of integrated reduction of waste policies, involving the Ministry of Industry, the Chamber of Commerce and the Federation of Industries. Our movement is airing its concerns about the lack of transparency as regards the Sant'Antnin plant operations and the presence of an industrial plant in a residential zone.

Unfortunately, your contributor seems to be more interested to write about his waste-line and his culinary likings (vide his contribution of February 19), than how we shall all together, from the President to the assembly-line operator, successfully tackle the waste management issue that we ourselves are generating.