Last Sunday, 5,500 foreigners and locals crowded Ghadira Bay, according to a head count by the beach cleaning section of the Tourism Ministry, as a pilot project is launched to manage the island's most frequented beach.

The project is being undertaken by the Malta Tourism Authority in collaboration with the ministry. The idea is to manage the beach to international standards - to reach Blue Flag status - and establish national criteria for beach management in Malta, said Mario Attard, director product planning within the MTA.

The underlying idea is for bays to be managed in a "sustainable way - the way forward", Mr Attard said.

Beach management was a "unique and innovative" concept in Malta. Three prime beaches in the main resorts were now being managed on the level of Blue Flag status.

Mr Attard said that a revision of the conditions for Ghadira beach concession operators, of which there are five, and of kiosks, which total eight, had been carried out.

As a result, they would be contributing financially to the management of the beach and have to put up a bank guarantee, previously in favour of the Lands Department, but now transferred to the MTA. In the eventuality of condition infringements fines can be imposed.

Many of the Lands Department conditions were previously not being observed, with kiosks, for example, going beyond their encroachment area.

Those who do not have an encroachment must not put out umbrellas and chairs before they are requested, said Joe Dalmas from the ministry's beach cleaning section, whose role it is to ensure the conditions are being obeyed.

The section has 90 employees, who clean every beach.

But managing Ghadira is another story as it is really three beaches in one, plus the sea is already "caked" with swimmers even though it is still June, Mr Dalmas said.

One uniformed beach manager, two beach attendants and two lifeguards, engaged from a private company, have been assigned to Ghadira during the week since the start of the month.

At the weekends, the number of cleaners and lifeguards goes up to four each. The former start cleaning at 6 a.m. and remain on the beach until 6 p.m., while the sifting of the sand is carried out once a week by a private contractor, Mr Dalmas said.

Despite a negligible number of accidents on the beach, in a fortnight, the two stations (rooms used as clinics) in the first and second bays would be manned by the Civil Protection Department from Friday to Monday, while it would be dispatching boats to patrol every bay. Mr Dalmas said the kiosks that had boats have also offered them for use if required.

The attendants would soon be wearing badges and their authority is already recognised... which is a good thing, considering they have to contend with a number of issues, including theft, and have even intervened to stop suspicious-looking people in their tracks.

The other day, assisted by the police, a dog was removed from the beach, despite the owner's protests, and some windsurfers, who were practicing the sport too close to the shore, were also stopped for safety reasons.

"It is not easy; people are used to otherwise and a culture change is required," Mr Dalmas said.

He referred to the throwing of charcoal in the sand after a barbecue, which was dangerous because it continued burning and children playing in it could get hurt, and said specific bins for the charcoal had been set up.

Furniture was even brought down to the beach to be burnt in their barbecues, Mr Dalmas said, while stone slabs are removed from the pavement to create a makeshift barbecue by placing a grill on top.

Apart from new bins, the bay also boasted new signage, including a code of conduct.

Additional mobile toilets have been installed, also for persons with disability, but they were toppled over in the night between Friday and Saturday, Mr Dalmas said.

In the past, umbrella poles were left out during the night, and these constituted a danger, he said. Today, they have to be removed.

Other obstacles encountered are in the human form, with people sleeping on the beach drunk, and being aggressive when asked to move.

On a more positive note, however, the presence of the cleaners, who pick up the rubbish and empty the bins throughout the day, also inspires beach-goers not to litter, Mr Dalmas said.

Cooperation with the operators may not have been immediate and the beach management initiative was initially perceived as an obstacle that would just get in their way.

But the feedback is already more positive, and although it is still early days, both operators and users are seeing the difference, Mr Attard and Mr Dalmas said.

Following the Ghadira experience, and based on the experiences at the other two beaches in St George's Bay and Bugibba, the committee appointed by the government at the beginning of the year would be working on national criteria for beach management during the winter.

It is composed of representatives of various government entities, which are in some way connected to beaches, including the MTA, the Malta Environment and Planning Authority, the Malta Maritime Authority, the local councils, the police, civil protection, health and lands departments.