“Wara li irrovinaw biċċiet sostanzjali ta’ art madwar Malta u Għawdex, l-ispekulaturi tal-art lokali milli jidher dawwru għajnejhom għall-baħar mal-kosta tagħna biex jissodisfaw ir-regħba bla tmiem tagħhom.”

Dan qalu ċ-Chairperson ta’ Alternattiva Demokratika Carmel Cacopardo illum filgħodu waqt konferenza stampa max-xatt tax-Xgħajra.

L-informazzjoni li l-Awtorità għall-Ambjent u r-Riżorsi identifikat il-kosta bejn Ricasoli u Żonqor Point bħala l-iktar parti xierqa tal-kosta għar-riklamazzjoni tal-art hija ta’ tħassib kbir. L-ERA qed tgħid li għaliex iż-żona hija diġa’ mittiefsa, allura ma jimpurtax li tkompli issirilha aktar u aktar ħsara.

Għalkemm għadha ma ttieħdet l-ebda deċiżjoni definittiva, l-identifikazzjoni mill-ERA ta’ din iż-żona hija r-riżultat ta’ pressjoni biex jinstab sit adattat għar-rimi ta’ skart tal-kostruzzjoni li jirriżulta minn proġetti fuq skala kbira bħall-mina proposta bejn Malta u Għawdex, kif ukoll il-proġett db fis-sit tal-ITS u l-proġett Corinthia fuq il-peniżola ta’ Pembroke. Dawn il-proġetti se jipproduċu madwar miljun u nofs  metru kubu ta’ skart tal-kostruzzjoni.

Din iż-żona matul il-kosta tax-Xgħajra diġà ntużat bħala sit għar-rimi tal-iskart tal-kostruzzjoni minn proġetti oħra fuq skala kbira, bħall-proġett mostru tal-MIDI fuq il-peniżola ta’ Tigné. Huwa wkoll affetwat bħala riżultat tal-outfall tad-drenaġġ.

Il-Gvern irċieva madwar għoxrin espressjoni ta’ interess, liema sejħa ħarġet mill-Gvern innifsu, għal proġetti li jinvolvu r-riklamazzjoni tal-art f’diversi meded tal-kosta. Deċiżjonijiet dwar dawn il-proġetti għadhom pendenti. Huwa magħruf ukoll li fost l-aktar proġetti msemmija huma dawk bejn Portomaso u Baħar iċ-Ċagħaq. Fosthom it-talba riċenti relatata mal-proġett Corinthia fuq il-peniżola ta’ Pembroke u ż-żona marbuta ma’ Portomaso li kienet tifforma parti mill-Masterplan ta’ Paceville.

Sfortunatament il-Gvern huwa favur ir-riklamazzjoni tal-art u għalhekk id-dikjarazzjonijiet minn uffiċjali tal-gvern li jipprovaw jitfgħu l-ballun f’saqajn l-ERA mhux kredibbli qal Carmel Cacopardo.

Alternattiva Demokratika, saħaq Carmel Cacopardo, hija kontra l-estensjoni tal-kankru tal-ispekulazzjoni tal-art għall-baħar tagħna u tħeġġeġ lill-Gvern biex jieħu miżuri effettivi biex jipproteġi l-kosta u l-aċċess għaliha. Għad hemm diversi talbiet pendenti minn NGOs għall-protezzjoni tal-kosta. Kemm se jdumu fuq l-ixkaffa dawn it-talbiet?

Waqt il-konferenza stampa ġew ukoll ippreżentati żewġ kandidati ta’ AD, wieħed għall-Kunsill Lokali ta’ Marsaskala Daniel Desira, u Donal Kelly għall-Kunsill Lokali tax-Xgħajra.

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Speculators and Government allies in ruining coastal waters

“After ruining substantial stretches of land, local land speculators have apparently now turned their attention to our coastal waters to satisfy their never-ending greed.”

This was stated by Alternattiva Demokratika – The Green Party Chairperson Carmel Cacopardo when addressing a press conference this morning along the Xgħajra promenade. 

Indications that the Environment and Resources Authority has identified the coastline between Ricasoli and Żonqor Point as the most suitable part of the coastline for land reclamation is worrying. In so doing, added Carmel Cacopardo, the Authority is in fact stating that the accumulated degradation of the area is in itself a condemnation for further environmental damage.

Although clearly no definite decision has yet been taken, the identification by ERA of this zone is the result of pressures to find a site suitable for the dumping of inert waste resulting from large scale projects such as the proposed tunnel between Malta and Gozo as well as the dB project at ITS and the Corinthia project on the Pembroke peninsula. Projects which could well yield around one and a half million cubic metres of construction waste.

This area has already been used as a dumping site for construction waste from other large scale projects, such as the MIDI mega-project on the Tigné peninsula. It is also severely degraded as a result of the sewage outfall.

Alternattiva Demokratika is aware that Government is in receipt of around twenty in number of expressions of interest for projects involving land reclamation along various stretches of the coastline. Decisions of these projects are still pending.

It is also known that the most conspicuous are projects between Portomaso and Baħar iċ-Ċagħaq, notably the recent request related to the Corinthia project on the Pembroke peninsula and the area linked to Portomaso which formed part of the discarded Paceville Masterplan.

Government is unfortunately committed in favour of land reclamation in principle and hence declarations from government officials distancing themselves from the ERA indications are not credible added Carmel Cacopardo.

Alternattiva Demokratika, concluded Carmel Cacopardo, is against extending the pressures of land speculation beyond our coastline and urges the government to embark on measures to protect the coastline and access thereto in respect of which various requests by eNGOs have been pending for ages. 

During the press conference two AD local council candidates were introduced: Donal Kelly for the Xgħajra local council and Daniel Desira for the Marsaskala local council.