In view of the fact that several people have been killed in building sites on the island in the past couple of years, and many people injured, I feel I must put pen to paper and describe the condition of a building site in Xaghra.
A well-known Gozitan developer is building a block of apartments opposite the property of friends of mine whom we visited the other night. I was quite frankly rather scared of walking down the once well-kept alley as there was a huge, two storey deep, unprotected hole less then a metre away from their front door. In addition, one had to dodge earth moving equipment and ensure that one didn’t trip on the torn up paving or step on the broken cover of a drain and break one’s neck or ankle. We had been warned so had taken a flash light with us, without which we might just have been statistics today.
I can only pray that the two children who live in the alley do not succumb to their inquisitiveness and fall in the hole as happened in Malta recently.
Not only did our friends have to contend with the noise and dust involved in the demolition of buildings and the excavation of this hole for more than 10 weeks (no dust protection measures were taken at all), but the alley was completely blocked 24/7 with trucks and earth moving equipment, effectively blocking the entrance to their home. The sub-contractors were consistently rude and surly when asked to move machines from the front door or when requested not to leave machines idling when not in use thus spewing clouds of diesel fumes into the alley and adjacent homes.
I find it absolutely appalling that such conditions are still common on these islands and that the authorities do nothing about it.
What a lovely break they and their guests enjoyed in eco-Gozo!
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