Il-kwalità tal-arja għandha tingħata prijorità

Kelliema tal-ADPD-The Green Party saħqu waqt konferenza tal-aħbarijiet kemm il-kwalità tal-arja hija fattur importanti għal saħħitna. Ħafna problemi respiratorji kif ukoll anke mard huma riżultat ta’ arja maħmuġa mniġġsa li ma ġġib xejn ħlief qtugħ ta’ nifs.

Id-Deputat Chairperson ta’ ADPD-The Green Party, Dr. Melissa Bagley qalet li fin-Naxxar kien sforz li għamlu r-residenti tal-inħawi li sar studju dwar il-kwalità tal-arja. Residenti qrib barriera huma nkwetati dwar dak li ħareġ mill-istudju. Mhux l-istess għall-ERA li suppost għandha għal qalbha s-saħħa tan-nies u tkun l-għassa fuq min jagħmel ħsara lill-ambjent. L-ERA ittrattat l-istudju bħala mhux importanti u dak li nstab ġie injorat. Kif jistgħu n-nies jafdaw l-istituzzjonjiet jekk iridu joħduhom minn saħħithom biex isiru jafu x’arja qed jibilgħu? Kif dawk li suppost jipproteġu liċ-ċittadini qed jaraw kif jagħmlu u jkunu huma t-tarka ta’ min iħammeġ l-ambjent. Irid ikollna istituzzjoni li verament ikollha għal qalbha l-ambjent u l-monitoraġġ ikun strett fuq min iħammeġ b’multi u sospensjonjiet tax-xogħol. Kelb tal-għassa bla snien m’għandniex x’nambuh.

Dr Bagley saħqet li hemm bżonn li n-nuqqasijiet li għaddejjin bħalissa f’din il-barriera jiġu ndirizzati u l-abbuż jinqata’. Hemm bżonn li x-xogħol isir imma b’rispett lejn ir-residenti tal-madwar. Aħna m’aħniex kontra x-xogħol imma kontra n-nuqqasijiet li hawn għaddejjin. B’naqra ħsieb kif ukoll dixxiplina l-affarijiet jistgħu jitranġaw. L-operat tal-barrieri għandu jsir b’rispett lejn l-ambjent. L-affarijiet inbidlu u n-nies saru aktar jagħtu kas tal-fatturi ambjentali li jkollhom effett fuq saħħithom. Li kien tajjeb ħamsin sena ilu m’għadux jgħodd għaż-żminijiet tal-lum. Irridu nkunu maturi u nagħrfu li l-affarijiet “kif dejjem hekk għamilnihom” m’għadhomx tollerati mal-liġijiet tal-lum, temmet tgħid Bagley.

Sandra Gauci, Chairperson ta’ ADPD-The Green Party qalet li skont studju li ġie ippubblikat mill-Qorti Ewropea tal-Awdituri (QEA) l-ibliet Ewropej għandhom livell tat-tniġġis tal-arja li għadu għoli wisq. Kull stat membru inkluża Malta se jkollha tagħmel aktar sforzi biex jissodissfaw l-istandards li se jkunu aktar stretti fis-snin li ġejjin. Skont l-Aġenzija Ewropea għall-Ambjent it-tniġġis tal-arja qiegħed joqtol mill-inqas 250,000 persuna kull sena fl-Ewropa u 250 f’Malta. Dan hu numru inkwetanti ħafna speċjalment meta naraw li pajjiżi fi ħdan l-Ewropa stess qegħdin ixekklu l-Green Deal u jinjoraw it-tibdil klimatiku. Hawn Malta xejn inqas. Meta tara kull kantuniera b’xi sit ta’ kostruzzjoni jew il-gvern bla ebda idea dwar kif se jnaqqas il-karozzi mit-toroq, tinduna li ħadd ma għandu l-kuraġġ li jagħmel miżuri iebsa biex intejbu l-kwalità tal-arja. Nibqgħu għaddejjin qisu ma ġara xejn u nħallu f’idejn pajjiżi kbar jirranġaw huma. Hemm bżonn li s-siti ta’ kostruzzjoni inklużi barrieri jkunu aktar ikkontrollati u l-permessi jingħataw b’mod aktar maħsub. Il-barrieri kienu hemm ħafna qabel il-bini: għax tħalla li jsir bini li dejjem joqrob lejn il-barrieri? L-ippjanar għall-użu tal-art falla anke hawn! Mhux xi ħaġa ġdida li mill-barrieri joħroġ kwantità ta’ trab minnhom!

Gauci qalet li rigward l-użu tal-karozza li hu fost l-aktar sors tat-tniġġis tal-arja, hemm bżonn li l-gvern jagħmel investiment kbir u maħsub fuq is-servizz ta’ tal-linja. Filwaqt li rajna titjieb fil-kwalità tas-servizz, xorta għadu kollox nofsu mqanżah. It-toroq tagħna huma ppakkjati bil-karozzi li jeħlu fit-traffiku kull ħin u kull mument tal-ġurnata tant li jipparalizzaw il-pajjiż u jkomplu jiġġeneraw aktar tniġġis. It-tniġġis tal-arja hu relatat ma’ bosta mard, primarjament dak tal-qalb, kanċer u mard respiratorju. F’Malta għandna abbundanza minn dan il-mard u hemm bżonn li nnaqqsu l-fatturi ambjentali li jwasslu għal dan il-mard. Il-gvern fid-dover tiegħu li jipproteġi u jippreveni milli n-nies jaqbadhom dan il-mard. Il-mediċini b’xejn mhux biżżejjed, temmet tgħid Gauci.

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Air quality should be given priority, Greens insist

Speakers for ADPD-The Green Party highlighted that air quality is important for our health during a news conference today. Many respiratory health issues are a result of air pollution, affecting one’s quality of life.

ADPD-The Green Party Deputy Chairperson Dr. Melissa Bagley said that the recently mentioned study on air quality in Naxxar was the result of residents’ insistence to have the air monitored.  Residents living near a quarry are worried about the results of this study.  However, it does not seem to be the case for ERA, which should have people’s health at heart and monitor any damage done to the environment.  The study was treated by ERA as a study which was not of any importance and therefore ignored.  How can people trust institutions if these institutions give them a hard time to find out the truth?  How is it that institutions that are supposed to protect citizens from polluters do the opposite?  We need to have institutions that truly have the environment at heart, with strict monitoring and harsh fines for those who pollute and the suspension of any work that causes environmental harm.  We have no need for toothless watch dogs.  

Dr Bagley also mentioned that there is the need for any shortcomings concerning the quarry to be addressed and that any abuse is curbed.  There is the need for work to be done but it must be done with respect towards nearby residents.  We are not against work but against any shortcomings that pose inconvenience and harm.  With some proper planning things can be worked out.  Quarry operators need to act with caution.  Things have changed and people have become more conscious of the impact the environment has on their health.  What was acceptable 50 years ago is no longer acceptable today.  We need to be aware of the fact that just because things have always been done in a particular way does not mean that they should be tolerated if they violate the law, concluded Bagley.

Sandra Gauci, ADPD-The Green Party Chairperson made reference to a study published by the European Court of Auditors that European cities have very high levels of air pollution.  Every EU member state, including Malta, will need to work harder to reach the strict standards that are to be introduced in the future.  According to the European Environmental Agency, air pollution is responsible for the deaths of at least 250,000 people in Europe every year, and 250 persons in Malta.  This is a worrying number of people, especially now that a number of parties in the EU are trying to sabotage the Green Deal and are ignoring climate change. In Malta, we see similar issues – when you see a construction site on practically every corner, or a government who is clueless on how to reduce car traffic, you realise that nobody has the courage to take strict measures to improve the quality of the air we breathe.  It is a situation whereby we keep on doing what we are doing and then expect larger countries to fix the problem.  There is the need for construction sites, including quarries, to be subject to restrictions and that permits are given out after thorough planning.  The quarries in question have been around for many years before residences were built; the question is why these were allowed to be built knowing that these buildings would be near quarries? It is a well-known fact that quarries produce substantial amounts of dust when in operation.

Gauci pointed out that car usage is one of the main causes of air pollution, and therefore there is the need for the government to invest in public transport.  Whilst we have seen an improvement in the quality of such services, there is much to be desired.  Our roads are packed with cars stuck in traffic every moment of the day, so much so that the country is paralysed, creating more pollution in the process.  Air pollution is related to a number of health issues and diseases, primarily heart disease, cancer and respiratory disease.  In Malta we have many who suffer from diseases that are linked to environmental factors, and therefore we need to reduce environmental risk factors that lead to these diseases.  The government is duty bound to protect people from exposure to these environmental hazards to safeguard their health and well-being.  It is not enough to only supply medicines, concluded Gauci.

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