Plans to turn the Magħtab eyesore into a recreational park have been dropped, as dangerous gases continue to be extracted from it.
It would take decades to extract all the gases, the result of untreated waste being dumped there for several years, sources close to WasteServ Malta have told this newspaper.
The sources said the landfill, which has been rehabilitated, is still internally active, producing gases which are being captured through a network of pipes and burnt in a safe manner by means of a plant situated next to it.
Plans to turn the former dump into a recreational plant were first proposed by the Nationalist government in 2007. In June 2012, the former government announced it was applying for planning permits to create a recreational park on the ‘mount’, in the hope that families could start enjoying it in 2014.
But it seems nothing was done about the idea.
“According to a government statement in March 2007 and in the run-up to the 2008 general election, the then administration promised to turn the Magħtab site into a recreational area, but no studies were ever commissioned or tenders issued to turn this area into a family park,” a spokeswoman for the Environment Ministry told The Sunday Times of Malta when contacted.
Having a recreational area [adjacent to]an operational landfill and the largest waste management plant is considered to be neither ideal nor safe
She explained that turning the area into a family park could possibly jeopardise public safety.
“Having a recreational area [adjacent to] an operational landfill and a large waste management plant is considered to be neither ideal nor safe, due to the fact that Magħtab is characterised by steep slopes, monitoring roads and a plateau, which are considered to be potential hazards to the public,” she pointed out.
Moreover, she said, the new mechanical and biological treatment plant adjacent to the current engineering landfill could also pose a danger. The plant is working on a one-shift basis and is producing an average of 607MWh per month of electricity.
Through this project, 99 per cent of gases from the disused dump site are being extracted and treated prior to safe emission into the atmosphere.
The spokeswoman explained that in accordance with what had been promised, the Magħtab rehabilitation project, which was planned and funded under an EU programme, had now been completed and the government was in the process of seeing how to best proceed with additional embellishment of the area.
The Magħtab dump was closed in 2004. The average weight of mixed waste received annually was approximately 1.6 million tonnes. The major proportion of this waste – 80 per cent by weight – was inert waste generated from rock excavations.
From time to time, residents in Baħar iċ-Ċagħaq and Għargħur would complain about bad smells, but sniff test results showed that there were no abnormal smells coming from Magħtab.
The sniff test literally involved a person going to the site and sniffing out foul odours.
Sniff testing has been conducted by Wasteserv since January 2013 to determine whether any odours pertaining to the landfills at the Magħtab Environmental Complex are being dispersed to surrounding areas.
The sniff tests also attempt to determine whether or not the odours cause any nuisance to the local residents.
This process is scheduled daily at two locations within the Magħtab Environment Complex, randomly once a week at the Coast Road and once every fortnight offsite in the areas of Baħar iċ-Ċagħaq, the Coast Road area, the Magħtab residential area, Naxxar, Mosta, Qawra and Burmarrad.