With reference to the Prime Minister’s announcement yesterday that the south of Malta will be benefiting from a major educational project involving an American University, Alternattiva Demokratika Chairperson, Prof. Arnold Cassola, said: “We welcome any investment that can contribute to the welfare of the country and its people. However, one must ensure that environmental and social considerations must be on the forefront when planning out these projects. It is therefore of utmost importance that the planned American University be sited in an area of the South that can be enhanced, rather than taking up virgin land which serves as a natural green lung. Educational projects should not serve as an excuse for commercial building development and the consequent rape of Maltese natural heritage”.
Carmel Cacopardo Deputy Chairman and spokesman on the environment and sustainable development stated that the campus of the proposed University will take up a large area of land currently outside the development zone. While details of the proposal have not been made public to date it is understood that a substantial area of land between Xghajra, Zabbar and Zonqor Point Marsaskala will be taken up. AD estimates that the uptake of land could be in the region of 20 hectares and this excludes additional virgin land which will need to be taken up for the development of roads and services. Even at this early stage the social and environmental impacts of such a project have to be carefully considered. The land which apparently is earmarked for development is an agricultural area very close to and possibly including an area which the South Malta Local Plan describes as “sites of scientific importance and areas of ecological importance proposed for scheduling.”
AD, concluded Carmel Cacopardo is of the opinion that the scale of the proposed investment is massive, is not sustainable and takes up to much land. Malta cannot and should not sacrifice forever so much of our natural heritage for short term gain.
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B’referenza ghal dak li habbar il-Prim Ministru l-bieraħ li n-nofsinhar ta’ Malta se jkun qed igawdi minn proġett kbir edukattiv li jinvolvi Universita` Amerikana, iċ-Chairperson ta’ Alternattiva Demokratika, Prof. Arnold Cassola, qal: “Aħna nilqgħu kull investiment li jagħmel ġid lis-soċjeta` Maltija u lill-poplu tagħha. Madankollu, wieħed irid jara wkoll li meta jkunu qegħdin jiġu ippjanati proġetti bħal dawn, jiġu ikkunsidrati b’serjeta’ wkoll fatturi ambjentali u soċjali. Huwa għalhekk ferm importanti li din l-Universita’ Amerikana li hija ippjanata, tiġi rilokata f’zona fin-nofsinhar ta’ Malta biex ittejjeb l-ambjent prezenti minflok ma tiġi mibnija fuq art verġni li qed isservi ta’ pulmun naturali. Progetti edukattivi m’ghandhomx iservu ta’ skuza ghal zvilupp ta’ bini kummercjali bil-konsegwenza li jigi stuprat il-wirt naturali Malti”.
Carmel Cacopardo, Deputat Chairman u kelliem għall-ambjent u l-iżvilupp sostenibbli, qal li l-campus tal-Universita` proposta se jkun qed jokkupa medda kbira ta’ art li tinsab barra ż-żona tal-iżvilupp. Filwaqt li d-dettalji tal-proposta għadhom ma ġewx ippubblikati s’issa, huwa mifhum li medda ta’ art sostanzjali bejn ix-Xgħajra ta’ Ħaż-Żabbar u Zonqor Point f’Wied il-Għajn se tkun meħuda għal dan il-proġett. AD tikkalkula li bejn wieħed u ieħor l-art meħuda ser tkun ta’ madwar 20 ettaru u din teskludi iktar art verġni li tkun meħtieġa għall-iżvilupp ta’ toroq, serviżżi u infrastruttura varja. L-impatti soċjali u ambjentali ta’ dan il-proġett iridu jingħataw importanza anke f’dan l-istadju bikri. L-art li tidher li hija mmarkata għall-iżvilupp hija art agrikola x’aktarx qrib ħafna u possibilment x’aktarx tinkludi medda ta’ art li l-Pjan Lokali għan-Nofsinhar jiddeskrivi bħala siti ta’ importanza xjentifika u żoni ta’ importanza ekoloġika proposti għall-protezzjoni”.
AD, temm jgħid Carmel Cacopardo, hija tal-opinjoni li l-iskala tal-investiment propost hija enormi, mhix sostenibbli u tieħu wisq art. Malta ma tistax u ma ghandhiex tissagrifika ghal dejjem daqshekk mill-wirt naturali taghha għal gwadann immedjat.
