Underwater study reveals massive dumping outside Marsaskala
James Debono A scuba diving survey, conducted by British experts Scott Wilson, has revealed that a substantial part of the seabed in deep waters between Xghajra and the Marsaskala bay is covered by demolition and construction waste.
One of the photos taken by under water cameras during the 2007 study showed large boulders and slabs of rock exceeding one metre in length at a depth of 45 metres.
Other items found on the seabed included metal frames, coiled ropes, cables, wire rope, pipes, tubes, sheets of metal, vehicle tyres, plastic and glass bottles, abandoned fishing lines and a number of unidentified objects which resembled “wreckage from ships or aircraft.”
The study gives no indication when the illegal dumping of construction waste took place. In the past decade, the dumping of construction waste was only allowed in a designated spoil ground northeast of Valletta against the payment of a fee.
A large quantity of plastic bottles, plastic bags, sheet of metal, tyres as well as lengths of rope, twine and chain were also found on the seabed within the Marsaskala bay.
The fauna in the deeper waters between Xghajra and Marsaskala was also deemed to be impoverished, with very few fish recorded in these waters.
Visibility was “fair to poor” in most areas outside the bay and particularly poor in the vicinity of the Wied Ghammieq sewage outfall. Within the bay itself, visibility was deemed very poor.
The marine survey was conducted as part of a report on the feasibility of land reclamation in the area as proposed by the government in 2005.
The Malta Environment and Planning Authority (MEPA) has spent over €403,000 on studies to assess the feasibility of artificial island on two sites, one opposite Maghtab and another one between Xghajra and Marsaskala. MEPA is still reviewing the results of these studies.
The study on the southeastern site has been published on MEPA’s website as an annex to an Environment Impact Assessment on the impact of a proposed submarine outfall for water treated at the new sewage treatment plant in Xghajra.
Any comments?
If you wish your comments to be published in our Letters pages please click button below. Please write a contact number and a postal address where you may be contacted.
