Alternattiva Demokratika today held a press conference in Birżebbuġa, next to the Enemalta fuel depot, a locality which is unfortunately a ‘good example’ of the negative impacts of development on the quality of life of people.

Political decisions should always have the quality of life of residents as their primary objective, insisted Pascal Aloisio, a 22 year old AD candidate contesting the general election on the 5th Electoral District.

Aloisio said that the locality we are in at the moment, Birżebbuġa, is one of many examples in Malta where development took place without the slightest consideration of its impact on people and residents. Just in front of us we have the Enemalta plant, which for years has served as a storage of fuel, totally surrounded by residential units. At Qajjenza, at the edge of Birżebbuġa, we had the gas plant, still in operation until four years ago and also surrounded by a residential zone. On the other side of Birzebbuga, we have the Freeport, which is again too close to the residential zone; it creates a constant inconvenience to residents due to its continuous noise pollution.

Aloisio continued explaining that, years ago, a housing estate was built in Birżebbuġa exactly under the last part of the flight path of airplanes that land at our international over the Freeport. Although this is a massive inconvenience, it seems that residents have got used to it after all these years.  However, noise and air pollution are not the best contributors towards residents’ quality of life in the area.

The power station is also an inconvenience: throughout the 1990s and up to a few years ago due to the emissions from heavy fuel oil, and now because of the gas tanker.  In spite of precautions to avoid accidents, its presence in the Freeport still remains worrying. This is regretful, given that years ago the Italian company ENEL, offered to build a gas pipeline which would have supplied Malta with energy from Sicily.

Despite all this, Alternattiva Demokratika Deputy Chairperson Carmel Cacopardo stated that AD is happy to notice that as a result of increased environmental consciousness, and thanks to the Birżebbuġa local council and Alternattva Demokratika, the plant at Qajjenza has been dismantled, and the Freeport has finally considered taking action to reduce environmental impacts on residents.

The Enemalta plant in front of us, continued Cacopardo, will be dismantled in the coming months, leading undoubtedly to an animated discussion about what should happen with this huge parcel of land. This will be a unique opportunity for the entire community of Birżebbuġa to be given back community facilities and open spaces after years of savage and intense development.

Cacopardo concluded by saying that  Alternattiva Demokratika does not want decisions to be imposed on residents.  It should be the residents themselves who choose the way forward in order to make the best of this unique opportunity for the good of the entire community.

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Il-kwalità tal-ħajja tar-residenti. Birżebbuġa eżempju ta’ impatti ħżiena fuq ir-residenti.

Alternattiva Demokratika illum sejjħet konferenza stampa f’Birżebbuġa, ħdejn id-depot tal-fuel tal-Enemalta, lokalità eżempju tal-impatti ħżiena tal-iżvilupp fuq in-nies.

Id-deċiżjoniiet politiċi għandhom dejjem ikollhom il-kwalita tal-hajja tar-residenti bħala l-oġġettiv primarju tagħhom. Dan qalu Pascal Aloisio, kandidat żgħażugħ ta’ 22 sena li Alternattiva Demokratika qed tippreżenta fuq il-5 Distrett Elettorali.

Il-lokalità li qegħdin fiha, Birzebbuġa, qal Aloisio hija waħda mill-ħafna eżempji f’Malta fejn l-iżvilupp tħalla javvanza għal żmien twil mingħajr l-iċken konsiderazzjoni tal-impatti tiegħu fuq in-nies. Quddiemna hawn l-impjant tal-Enemalta li għal snin twal serva għall-ħażna tal-fuels: imdawwar bid-djar li fihom joqgħodu n-nies. Fil-Qajjenza f’tarf ta’ Birżebbuġa, sa 4 snin ilu kellna l-impjant tal-gass, ukoll imdawwar b’żona residenzjali. Fit-tarf l-ieħor ta’ Birżebbuġa hemm il-Port Ħieles li hu viċin wisq taż-żona residenzjali u li kontinwament joħloq inkonvenjent bi storbju li ma jispiċċa qatt.

Aloisio kompla jgħid li snin ilu f’Birżebbuga inbena Housing Estate eżatt taħt l-aħħar parti tal-flight path għall-ajruplani li jinzlu fl-ajruport internazzjonali f’Ħal-Luqa min-naħa tal-Port Ħieles. Għalkemm dan hu ta’ inkonvenjent kbir, għoddu indara wara dawn is-snin kollha, imma xorta, l-istorbju u l-emissjonijiet m’humiex l-aħjar kontribut għall-kwalità tal-ħajja f’żona residenzjali.

Anke l-power station, kompla jgħid Aloisio, dejjem kienet problematika. L-ewwel bl-emmissjonijiet tal-HFO imma issa minħabba t-tanker tal-gass li qiegħed faċċata. Minkejja li bla dubju ttieħdu l-prewkazzjonijiet meħtieġa biex ikun evitat inċident, il-preżenza tiegħu fil-Port ta’ Marsaxlokk xorta tibqa’ inkwetanti iktar u iktar meta hu magħruf li offerta mill-korporazzjoni Taljana ENEL kienet offriet snin ilu li jsir pipeline tal-gass li kien jissuplixxi lil Malta minn Sqallija.

Fid-dawl ta’ dan kollu, qal Carmel Cacopardo Deputat Chairperson ta’ Alternattiva Demokratika, AD tinnota b’sodisfazzjoni li bħala riżultat ta’ kunxjenza ambjentali li qed tikber bil-mod, anke mertu tal-Kunsill Lokali ta’ Birżebbuġa u ta’ Alternattva Demokratika, l-impjant tal-Qajjenza iżżarma u l-Port Ħieles  beda fl-aħħar jikkonsidra li jieħu passi rimedjali biex jitnaqqsu l-impatti ambjentali tiegħu fuq ir-residenti.

Dan l-impjant ta’ quddiemna, kompla jgħid Cacopardo, matul ix-xhur li ġejjin jibda jiżżarma u bla dubju tibda diskussjoni imqanqla dwar x’użu għandha issir minn din l-art. Din ser tkun opportunita unika biex lill-komunità ta’ Birżebbuġa jingħatalha lura ftit minn dak li ttieħdilha tul is-snin bl-iżvilupp ta’ faċilitajiet għat-tgawdija tal-komunità kollha.

Alternattiva Demokratika tawgura, ikkonkluda Cacopardo, li ma jkunux imposti deċiżjonijiet fuq ir-residenti. Għandhom ikunu ir-residenti infushom li jagħżlu t-triq ‘il quddiem biex din l-opportunità unika tissarraf f’ġid għall-komunita kollha.