Id-Deputati Chairpersons ta’ ADPD-The Green Party Carmel Cacopardo (kandidat fuq distretti 7 u 11) u Melissa Bagley (kandidata fuq distrett 5) indirizzaw konefenza stampa f’Birżebbuġa.
It-tniġġis qed iħassrilna saħħitna. Il-prezz għal dan qed inħallsuh ilkoll bi tnaqqis fil-kwalità tal-ħajja tagħna.
Hemm riċerka kontinwa għaddejja li tkejjel l-impatt tat-tniġġis fuq l-ekosistema u kull min hu dipendenti fuqha.
L-Aġenzija Ewropea Ambjentali f’pubblikazzjoni riċenti tagħha emfasizzat li l-evidenza xjentifika kurrenti tistabilixxi rabta bejn it-tniġġis ambjentali u inċidenza ikbar fir-riskji għal mard mentali li aħna esposti għalihom.
Is-saħħa mentali nistgħu, jiġifieri, nikkontribwixxu għalija ukoll permezz ta’ inqas tniġġis, in partikolari trabijiet u ħsejjes. Dawn ivarjaw mill-impatti tan-numru esaġerat ta’ karozzi fuq it-toroq tagħna kif ukoll għal dak iġġenerat minn ħsejjes esaġerati ġġenerati mit-Terminal tal-Port Ħieles, l-ajruport internazzjonali ta’ Malta kif ukoll l-industrija tad-divertiment.
Dawn l-impatti ambjentali għandhom impatt negattiv fuq il-kwalità tal-ħajja tagħna lkoll, imma l-iktar ta’ dawk vulnerabbli fostna. Imarrdu lil min hu b’saħħtu u jgħakksu li min hu diġà dgħajjef. Dan jinkludi tfal, anzjani u dawk b’mard respiratorju jew tal-qalb.
Il-pajjiż irid jibda jagħti kaz kif dan it-tniġġis mill-ħsejjes esaġerati qiegħed ikollu impatt fuq is-saħħa ta’ dawk li jgħixu ħdejn il-Port Ħieles jew l-ajruport, inkluż il-punti ta’ access għall-istess ajruport. Uħud mir-residenti ta’ Birżebbuġa fil-Qasam Residenzjali magħruf bħala Tal-Papa Housing Estate, per eżempju, joqgħodu eżatt taħt l-aħħar parti tal-flight path qabel ma ajruplan imiss mar-runway tal-ajruport tal-Gudja. B’żieda ma’ dan, dawn ir-residenti ta’ Birżebbuġa iridu simultanjament jissaportu ukoll l-impatti tal-istorbju mill-Port Ħieles. Jekk dan ma kienx biżżejjed mhux ‘il bogħod li jkollhom ukoll it-trakka tal-karozzi ukoll x’jissaportu.
Hemm numru ta’ miżuri li jistgħu jittieħdu biex tkun ikkontrollata aħjar l-attività li tiġġenera storbju esaġerat. L-ajruport, normalment ma jaħdimx bil-lejl. Ma hemmx l-istess limitazzjoni fuq l-operat tal-Port Ħieles. Dan għandu jkun ikkunsidrat anke jekk ikollu impatt fuq il-ħidma iġġenerata fl-istess Port Ħieles.
L-istess l-industrija tad-divertiment. L-istorbju li din l-industrija tiġġenera għandhom ikunu mrażżna biex b’hekk tkun protetta l-komunita residenzjali.
Huwa essenzjali li ma nistrieħux biss fuq studji li jsiru barra l-pajjiż. Hemm lok li nistudjaw sewwa l-impatt mediku tal-ħidma tal-Port Ħieles u l-ajruport fuq ir-residenti fil-qrib. Anke l-inħawi madwar l-industrija tad-divertiment teħtieġ attenzjoni. Studji bħal dawn ikunu ta’ għajnuna kbira biex jgħinna nindirizzaw b’mod konkret l-impatti tat-tniġġis fuq is-saħħa mentali tagħna. Imbaghad ikun possibbli li nfasslu pjan ta azzjoni konkret.
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Pollution is negatively affecting our health
ADPD-The Green Party Deputy Chairpersons Carmel Cacopardo (candidate on districts 7 and 11) and Melissa Bagley (candidate on district 5) addressed a press conference in Birżebbuġa.
Pollution is damaging our health, and we are paying the price for this in the reduction in our quality of life.
There is ongoing research that measures the impact of pollution on the ecosystem and whoever and whatever depends on it. In a recent publication, the European Environmental Agency pointed out that the current scientific evidence shows that there is a link between environmental pollution and the increase in risks to our mental health to which we are exposed.
Mental health is also impacted by pollutants such as dust and noise; less of both will help our mental health. Sources of such pollutants include the excessive number of cars on our roads as well as the excessive noise levels generated by the Freeport Terminal, the Malta International Airport, as well as the entertainment industry.
These sources of noise and particulate pollution have a negative impact on our quality of life, in particular, the health of those most vulnerable amongst us. Pollution affects healthy individuals, and disproportionately affects the vulnerable, including young children, older adults, and those with compromised respiratory and cardiovascular systems.
This country has yet to acknowledge that noise pollution is having an effect on the health of those who live near the Freeport or the airport, including its points of access. Residents living in the area known as Tal-Papa Housing Estate in Birżebbuġa, for example, live right under the last part of the flight path of airplanes landing on the runway at the Gudja airport. We need to add that these residents are also putting up with the noise generated by the Freeport. As if this is not enough, they will have to put up with the racetrack, currently being built in Ħal Far.
There are a number of measures that can be taken to control activity that generates excessive noise. For example, the airport does not generally operate at night. However, there are no such limitations on the Freeport operations. Such measures should also be taken, even if they will affect the workings of the said terminal. The same can be done for the entertainment industry. Any generated noise needs to be controlled in order to adequately protect the residential community.
It is essential that we do not rely on international studies alone. There is a need to study the impact of noise from the Freeport operations and the airport on the surrounding residential community. The same can be said of the entertainment industry. Such studies would be of great benefit to us as they would help us to address the impact that such pollution has on our physical and mental health. Once this is done, we can plan a course of action to deal with this in a concrete fashion.
