ADPD Chairperson Carmel Cacopardo said that the tuna waste recycling plant in Birżebbuġa could have been a valuable one for the development of the circular economy of our country. But the lack of seriousness in the way it was implemented and the authorities’ unwillingness to see that things are done according to established practices and as approved by the ERA permits has led to great inconveniences for residents.
He was addressing a press conference in Birżebbuġa this morning together with ADPD – The Green Party Deputy Secretary General and candidate Dr. Melissa Bagley before they joined the residents in a protest about this plant.
ADPD – The Green Party Deputy Secretary General and candidate Dr. Melissa Bagley said that she has been following the assault that has been ongoing on Birżebbuġa over the years. This so-called development, has always been done with only strictly economic goals in mind, with little regard to the consequences on the lives of residents. Among the things that have been done or will be done with very little thought about their impact were the ever expanding activities of the Freeport and a car racing track that somehow will find itself in a supposedly industrial area, further adding to the nuisances Birżebbuġa already suffers from. Its residents will once again be badly hit due to neglect and the mantra of economic gain.
We can’t help but wonder how we came to have sewage from the Aquaculture Resources Ltd plant ending up in residential areas in Birżebbuġa? Proper sewage management is something so basic in a developed country. We can’t help but wonder if Aquaculture Resources Ltd are indeed able to adhere to high health and safety standards. Where are the high standards that industry in a European Union country should follow? And where are the authorities who should see that industry actually adheres to these standards?, asked Dr. Melissa Bagley.
ADPD – The Green Party Chairperson Carmel Cacopardo said that this project could have been a very important asset in the development of our country’s circular economy. However, it seems that there was a lack of professionalism in the way it was implemented, leading to putting such an important development in a negative light. Once again the authorities were not able to see that a beneficial project is carried out properly. It is simply not on that residents are made to bear the brunt of smells and sewage effluent because of carelessness and what looks like improper commissioning of the plant.
It is worth mentioning that the way this project was approved – through a Development Notification Order – meant that there was no public consultation about it. Few knew that in March 2021 the Planning Authority had issued the permit for it. It was only in June when the documents related to the environmental permitting process – known as the IPPC – were published that a public consultation began. This regulatory process ensures that there are detailed documents about the industrial process involved, the expected environmental impact and how these would be addressed. The tuna waste project went through this process and ERA issued its approval.
But as soon as the work for the commissioning of the plant started, trouble started. It seems that the plant manufacturers were not, contrary to widespread practice, tasked with the actual commissioning of the plant. The consequences are clear, whoever commissioned the plant does not have the necessary and specialised experience. This is a classic case of how a project that could have been very beneficial was implemented badly due to a lack of will by the authorities to see that things are done according to established practices and as approved by the ERA permits, concluded Cacopardo.
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Kif proġett li seta’ jkun ta’ siwi ġie implimentat ħażin
Iċ-Chairperson ta’ ADPD – The Green Party Carmel Cacopardo qal li l-impjant ta’ riċiklaġġ tal-fdalijiet tat-tonn f’Birżebbuġa kellu jkun wieħed ta’ siwi għall-iżvilupp tal-ekonomija ċirkulari ta’ pajjiżna. Imma n-nuqqas ta’ serjetà fil-mod kif ġie implimentat u nuqqas ta’ rieda mill-awtoritajiet li jaraw li l-affarijiet isiru skont prattiċi stabbiliti u kif approvati mill-permessi relatati qiegħed iwassal għal inkonvenjent kbir għar-residenti.
Huwa kien qiegħed jindirizza konferenza stampa f’Birżebbuġa dalgħodu flimkien mad-Deputat Segretarju Ġenerali u kandidata ta’ ADPD – The Green Party Dr Melissa Bagley qabel ma ngħaqdu mar-residenti fi protesta dwar dan l-impjant.
Id-Deputat Segretarju Ġenerali u kandidata ta’ ADPD – The Green Party Dr Melissa Bagley qalet li ilha ssegwi l-assalt li ilu għaddej fuq Birżebbuġa tul is-snin. ‘L hekk imsejjaħ żvilupp, dejjem sar biss f’isem miri strettament ekonomiċi, ikunu xi jkunu l-konsegwenzi fuq il-ħajja tar-residenti. Fost l-affarijiet li saru jew se jsiru bi ftit li xejn ħsieb dwar l-impatt tagħhom hemm l-attivitajiet dejjem jespandu tal-Freeport u trakka tat-tlielaq tal-karozzi li se ssib ruħha f’żona suppost industrijali biex tkompli żżid mal-inkonvenjent. Birżebbuġa qegħda għal darboħra tintlaqat ħażin minħabba it-traskuraġni u l-gwadann ekonomiku, b’impatt negattiv fuq l-ambjent fiżiku kif ukoll fuq is-saħħa kemm dik mentali u fiżika tan-nies tal-lokal.
Ma nistgħux ma nistaqsux kif wasalna biex drenaġġ mill-impjant ta’ Aquaculture Resources Ltd jispiċċa f’żoni residenzjali f’Birżebbuġa? Din hija xi ħaġa tant bażika f’pajjiż żviluppat. Ma nistgħux ma nistaqsux jekk Aquaculture Resources Ltd humiex kapaċi jimxu ma’ standards għoljin dwar saħħa u sigurtà? Fejn huma l-istandards għoljin li l-industrija f’pajjiż tal-Unjoni Ewropea għandha ssegwi? U fejn huma l-awtoritajit li għandhom jaraw li l-industrija għandha żżomm ma’ dawn l-istandards?, staqsiet Dr Melissa Bagley.
Iċ-Chairperson ta’ ADPD Carmel Cacopardo qal li dan il-proġett kellu jkun wieħed ta’ siwi għall-iżvilupp tal-ekonomija ċirkulari ta’ pajjiżna. Imma milli jidher kien hemm nuqqas ta’ serjetà fil-mod kif ġie implimentat, biex li dak li seta’ jkun ikkunsidrat bħala pass ‘il quddiem qiegħed jidher f’lenti negattiva. Għal darboħra l-awtoritajiet ma kienux kapaċi jaraw li proġett ta’ benefiċċju jitwettaq kif suppost. Il-mod kif sar dan l-aħħar proġett qiegħed għal darboħra jwassal biex ir-residenti ibatu ferm bl-irwejjaħ u t-tixrid tad-drenaġġ fl-inħawi.
Ta’ min isemmi li l-mod kif ġie approvat dan il-proġett – permezz ta’ Development Notification Order – ma ħalliex lok għal konstultazzjoni pubblika dwaru. Għalhekk ftit kienu jafu li f’Marzu 2021 l-Awtorita’ tal-Ippjanar kienet ħarġet il-permess għalih. Kien biss f’Ġunju li għadda meta ġew ippubblikati d-dokumenti relatati mal-proċess tal-permess ambjentali – dak magħruf bħala l-IPPC – li bdiet din il-konsultazzjoni. Dan il-proċess regulatorju jara li jkun hemm dokumenti dettaljati dwar il-proċess industrijali involut, l-impatt ambjentali mistennija u kif dawn kienu se jiġu indirizzati. Il-proġett tal-fdalijiet tat-tuna għadda minn dan il-proċess u l-ERA ħarġet l-approvazzjoni tagħha.
Imma malli inbeda x-xogħol biex il-makkinarju f’dan l-impjant jibda jopera beda l-inkwiet. Jidher li min ipprovda il-makkinarju ma ngħatax l-inkarigu li jikkomissjonah bil-konsegwenza li min għamel dan ma kellux l-esperjenza neċessarja bir-riżultati li qegħdin naraw.
Dan huwa każ klassiku ta’ kif proġett li seta’ jkun ta’ siwi kien implimentat ħażin minħabba nuqqas ta’ rieda mill-awtoritajiet li jaraw li l-affarijiet isiru skond prattiċi stabbiliti u kif approvati mill-permessi relatati, temm jgħid Cacopardo.
