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, Alternattiva Demokratika - The Green Party chairperson Carmel Cacopardo said 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 Zonqor 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 Tigne 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 Xghajra local council and Daniel Desira for the Marsaskala local council.