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NEWS | Sunday, 11 November 2007

A tragedy waiting to happen

A scientific report reveals the imminent danger beneath the Ghar id-Dud promenade.

By James Debono

Sliema’s local council has been warned that the caves beneath the Ghar id-Dud promenade could collapse due to rising sea levels and storms, with the fearful prospect of fatalities, unless measures are taken to mitigate the threat below the promenade.
The possibility of tragedy is very clearly spelt out in the report by Geotek Services, commissioned by the local council itself, which has warned of impending collapse of the underground caves from the effects of global warming and the increased likelihood of storms.
Families or early risers strolling along the promenade could end up unexpectedly swallowed in the bowels of Ghar id-Dud if the underlying caves collapse, the report ominously warns.
“If collapse is sudden and during daytime or early night time, injury and loss of lives may result,” the report warns.
The report has revealed that the faulted coast along Ghar id-Dud is retreating rapidly by the dislodgement of boulders along joints and faults, affecting the stability of the Tower Road promenade.
This will lead to either partial or total collapse of the caves, resulting in the promenade literally “caving in”, the report warns.
And sites where the retaining wall of the pedestrian area acts as a sea wall are also in immediate danger by wave undercutting, unless retaining walls are built to reinforce and buttress the walls to avoid further damage.
The report does not say when the caves could collapse.
But it warns the roof of the Ghar id-Dud cave is liable to collapse and that a “detailed study of the stability of the cave is required”.
It calls on the authorities to assess the state of the Ghar id-Dud seas caves and take appropriate measures to mitigate any hazard caused by collapse. It recommends building retaining walls to reduce wave energy reaching the shore.
“These coastal defence mechanisms are important in Ghar id-Dud bay where coastal erosion threatens the stability of overlying pedestrian zone due to the collapse of the cave roof.” The promenade was previously earmarked for the private development of an underground car park and a fantastical ship-shaped structure atop the derelict Chalet remains, now removed. Subsequently, the government spent Lm200,000 on embellishing the promenade after these planning applications were shelved in 2005.
The Ghar id-Dud caves, which stretch for 33 metres beneath the promenade and Tower Road, are considered to be sites of “special scientific interest”.
Other tracts of the Sliema coast are facing erosion, according to the report by the local council, and is set to become more rapid due to global warming.
People used to walking along Sliema’s continuous rocky coast will be forced to ascend to the overlying promenade at certain points, because the rising sea water will make walking along the coast impossible.
Global warming is expected to result in the rise of the sea level by a minimum of 2mm per year. The flooding of low-lying areas will result in a break in continuity of access along the coast. Global warming will also result in an increase in wave erosion and in the extent of the wash zone – the spread of the wave’s spray when it hits the coast.
“This will increase the area susceptible to salt weathering, resulting in more jagged terrain which is not favoured by tourists,” the report says.
Predicted temperature increase in the Mediterranean Sea due to global warming will result in greater atmospheric instability that may generate higher waves and more frequent storms. This will result in accelerated erosion near the Surfside area on Sliema’s promenade.
This process will produce shingle beaches in some areas, dramatically altering the nature of the seaside tourist attraction, while reducing sunbathing areas.
The Fond Ghadir cove, a natural swimming pool and a favourite spot for young children, is also particularly threatened by erosion. The square-shaped rock-cut baths at Exiles, which are fed by water from channels linked to the sea, are rapidly eroding. So is the coastal continuity between the Fond Ghadir and the rest of the coast.
Exiles, the part of the Sliema coast that gets its name from Russian émigrés who once frequented this area, is also under threat. The two pockets of sandy beach beneath the Carmelite convent could disappear. The rise in sea level and more storms will increase the loss of fine sediments.
And according to the report, the rapid erosion of the coast is accelerated by the placing of concrete along the coast. “This reduces coastal friction of longshore waves, increasing the intensity of waves in Qui-Si-Sana,” referring to the Tigné area of the Sliema coast.
Waves have already partly eroded the rock-cut baths in Qui-Si-Sana, where the walls of the pool are mostly underwater.
The Gzira-Sliema coast, which was reclaimed from the sea by dumping building waste capped with concrete, lies just at one metre above sea level and could also be susceptible to flooding. “This reclaimed area is liable to flooding during storm surges in Sliema Creek, which can result in the suspension of vehicle traffic along the coastal road.”
According to the report, the settlement of the reclaimed land has not been monitored since its construction, with the consequence of more serious flooding due to the rising sea levels.
The report also identifies other environmental threats, like five outfalls leaking sewage drains and rainwater in to the sea. These outfalls are channelled into the sea by purposely built pipes from private establishments, which are draining directly into the rocky coast or directly into the sea by ruts cut into the rock.
“In all cases the outfall areas are characterised by the growth of algae encouraged by water conditions normally associated with sewage water.”
The location of outfalls are also close to bathing zones.
The report also makes a number of recommendations to protect the coastline. Ghar id-Dud bay should be identified as a zone of maximum sea erosion requiring specific interventions to protect this area. The practice of scarification – the cutting of rock outcrops, as happened beneath the Sliema tower to create a flat surface for parking cars – should be halted permanently.
It says areas where sea erosion has nearly reached the retaining wall of Tower Road have to be protected from further erosion by building small dykes where small coves have formed, which will act as wave breakers and allow sand to accumulate behind them.
“Wave energy dissipation structures”, like offshore seawalls and small concrete piles, can be used to protect the rocky coast without altering the natural outcrops. The outflow of sewage must also be controlled or stopped, the report states.
Sea ladders must be added to the coast for bathers, but not located in “rip current” areas – the zones which have a strong, outward current that turn dangerous during rough sea and makes it difficult for bathers trying to reach the ladders. A case in point is the ladder located beneath the Exiles’ former Civil Service sports club.
The continuity of the coastal pathway has been earmarked as a priority, the report urges, calling for immediate attention to those areas where coastal continuity is threatened by erosion, and to consider the effects on the seabed’s geology and land settlement before any further reclamation down at the Sliema creek is considered.

jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt



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