A veritable hue and cry has been raised in response to Environment Minister Aaron Farrugia’s recent suggestion that inert waste originating from construction and demolition activities might be disposed of at sea, with many pundits legitimately voicing concerns over the potential environmental impacts of such a scenario.
The declaration by Farrugia comes in the midst of the latest capacity emergency that our island has to grapple with: this one is about the millions of tons of inert waste that our country generates on an annual basis. The same crisis seems to have found, at least temporarily, a reprieve, in the form of additional quarry sites which are accessible for inert waste disposal purposes.
As a consistent opponent of large-scale land reclamation at sea, I consider the latest brouhaha a non-issue, given that formal land reclamation is not on the plate, at least for the time being, but rather a continuation of a practice which has been ongoing since 1997. Yes, 1997, when the currently operational marine spoil ground, located approximately four kilometres to the north-east of the mouth of the Grand Harbour, was sanctioned through a Government Notice. It is set, once quarries on land are exhausted, to take even more rubble.
The same spoil ground, which has a radius of 350m and which can be considered as an underwater quarry of sorts, albeit at a water depth of over 100m, has, to date, been the recipient of millions of tons of inert waste emanating from large-scale construction projects situated along the eastern coast of Malta. The Midi plc project along the Tigné promontory and Manoel Island and Smart City spring to mind.
Although the authorities have carte blanche to proceed with dumping at sea at the marine spoil site, the resurgence in its relevance is a golden opportunity to better regulate such a practice.
Barges deployed for renewed dumping on site should be fully serviced to ensure that marine hydrocarbon spills are minimised- Alan Deidun
For instance, spillage (deliberate or fortuitous) of construction debris from the operating barges en route to the spoil ground is a regular occurrence, such that the prescribed 350m-wide radius of the spoil ground is actually much more extensive. A mound of rubble has been detected as far away as 4km to the north-west of the designated zone.
As a result, the footprint of the spoil ground has grown far beyond the sanctioned precincts into contiguous marine areas.
The typology of the waste loaded on each barge should be characterised, prior to its release for dumping at sea, to ensure that only inert waste is being considered, with the entire exercise being monitored by the ERA.
As much as possible, fine particulates should be excluded from the waste to be dumped at sea, to avoid the generation of turbidity plumes within the contiguous water column. Regular (e.g. on an annual basis or every two years) acoustic and ROV surveys should be conducted on site to fully assess the environmental impact. These could possibly be accompanied by technical scuba diving as a means of ground-validation/-truthing of the conclusions drawn up through the remote surveying techniques.
Barges deployed for renewed dumping on site should be fully serviced, to ensure that marine hydrocarbon spills are minimised. The data emanating from the previous (2008) survey of the spoil ground should be consulted so as to ensure that any archaeological artefacts and protected benthic species recorded on site are not jeopardised in any way through further sanctioned dumping on site. Where possible and feasible, such artefacts should be recovered.
Concrete washing: We are far from the imposition of a modicum of responsible behaviour by some construction industry operators. This street in Gudja has been turned into a dust bowl courtesy of an operator discharging liquid concrete washout.It’s been worth fighting and waiting for...
The much-touted revised fuel stations policy has finally come on stream... it was long overdue but it definitely constitutes a positive development.
All pending fuel stations applications will now be assessed according to the new policy, which will be applied retroactively (this is quite a rare occurrence in planning law).
Also, the maximum footprint to be allowed for new fuel stations will be of 1,000 square metres, as opposed to the current 3000 square metres.
The buffer of 500m from proximal fuel stations has been reintroduced and, perhaps most significantly, only the relocation of existing fuel stations will be permitted (i.e. no spanking new stations will be entertained), and these must first demonstrate that they are exerting a detrimental impact on their surroundings. Full or partial ODZ developments will also be frowned upon.
This planning loophole has finally been plugged, representing a feather in Farrugia’s cap... now, on to the next loophole.
We are far from regulating the construction industry
The tragic events which took place at Ħamrun last March and which claimed the life of a resident have commendably drawn the limelight on shoddy practices which are so rampant in the construction industry. But old practices, as the axiom goes, die hard, and, as one of the photos accompanying this column shows, even small-scale infringements, such as the discharge of concrete wash-out within residential areas by the industry are still common.
The end result of such indiscriminate flouting of the law and of common sense was that the affected hapless residents were invariably faced with dust-smothered pavements, cars and front porches. Some areas regularly bear the brunt of the passage of heavy vehicles deployed by the construction industry due, for example, to the non-enforcement of legislation stipulating the rinsing of vehicle tyres as they emerge from quarry sites.
The T’Alla W Ommu area is a case in point. It seems it will take much more than expressions of intent by the Malta Developers Association to instil some sorely needed discipline within the sector.