From Mr K. de Jong

For reference purposes I have taken the liberty of quoting a few phrases from earlier written relevant articles and letters that all came to the same conclusion.

I have added some comments in direct relation to a few of these phrases and my recommendation with regard to the required beach replenishment and road (seawall) improvement.

A. Sunday Times 23 November 2008 – Herman Grech – Page 5.

Good article:

1. Newly proposed road through environmentally and ecologically sensitive sites would have an adverse effect on the GNR and the Foresta 2000

2. Road alignment too close to Danish Village.

3. Proposal forming part of the TEN-T to ease traffic.??

4. Replacing the existing road would reconnect with inland sand for replenishment purposes.??

5. Traffic has never presented any problems in this area.

B. The Times 28 November 2008 – Nestor Laiviera – Page 15

1. Project is part of a e15- million scheme, aimed at extending the beach?

2. Minister Gatt states “doing nothing is no option

Stephen Borg – Comments and Letters page 10

3. Government should look around to see how other countries have reclaimed land from the sea, which will eliminate the need for a new road. Reference was made to the National Geographic Documentary covering the land reclamation (islands) for the Palm Island and World projects in Dubai by a Dutch consortium.

4. Hope that the government would take more professional advice.

C. The Times – Cynthia Busuttil –

1. Two car parks will be built, one next to Seabank Hotel and one next to the green boathouses. The parking spaces are required to replace P-places from the existing road.

2. Dr Gatt states (w/o reference to any relevant study) that the beach is slowly eroding. He also stated his intention to apply for EU funds in January.

3. No studies available to back this Road Project (fifth option?).

4. Dr Gatt stated that the plans (five options) provide a chance to upgrade the beach.? And didn’t want to lose funding.?

5. Former Transport Minister Mugliett had earlier proposed to upgrade the road for e4.6 million.

D. The Times – Carmel Cacopardo – Time Up – A Green Agenda. A very good article

1. All such projects have an environmental impact.

2. Total transparency (information) regarding plans and so on required for all stakeholders including the public.

3. BCEOM – French Engineering Consultants in their “Final Feasibility Study Report” and AIS Environmental Ltd in its 2005 report “Proposed Review of Ghadira Road Options”, identify the upgrading of the existing road as the preferred option.

4. Most conspicuous remarks made with regard to one of the Ghadira economic operators who commissioned a consultant to reinforce his proposal for a beach concession as a result of a possible re-routing of the Ghadira Road.

5. Relevant studies have been requested by Mepa since 2005 ??

E. The Times – 21 December 2008. Martin Frendo – Letters – “Need for better beaches”. Page 19

1. This is basically a plea for action (as for example in Sicily) to improve all beaches in Malta incl. for the purpose of attracting tourists.

F. The Sunday Times 28 December 2008 – Peter Gatt – “The Truth about Ghadira Beach”.

1. An adviser to Minister Gatt concluded that the sand does not come from the sea, but from the valley.

2. Sedimentological research shows the contrary (beach = the outcome of shoreward sand movement initiated during the Holocene marine transgression which brought the sea to its present level, 6000 years ago – Roland Paskoff, eminent coastal geomorphologist.

3. The authorities should be careful not to initiate projects unsupported by scientific analysis of complex processes.

G. The Times – Letters – “Protecting Ghadira Bay” by John Mifsud.

1. Retain the existing road and protect the beach from the seaside, by way of constructing groins (rock) and underwater breakwaters if necessary, as removing the road will attract further erosion. Following the seaside protection, the existing road could then be upgraded as required (landward widening).

My comments relate to the following quotes above:

Ref. A-3: The Ten-T programme was launched in the early nineties and covered the construction of Trans European Motorways and High Speed Railway lines to interconnect all present and future EU members. I am not sure this relatively rural road comes under that category.

Ref. A-5: Indeed, in fact there has never been a traffic problem on the coast road except between Mellieha roundabout and St Paul’s Bay roundabout at the weekends and during festivities when cars are returning from Gozo.

Ref. B-1: In my humble opinion there are some 200 + kms of Maltese roads, including those in villages, which require very urgent repairs and upgrading. I would have thought the e15 million should be spent there as a first priority.

Ref. B-3: See my recommendations below.

Ref. C-1: Car parks? For whose benefit? The hotel’s? Or the occupants of the green huts? These are not required if the current road is maintained (incl. upgrading)

Ref. C-2: This type of application is complex and requires substantial preparation, including Economic and Environmental Assessments to illustrate the most logical, economical and environmentally least impacting solution for the problem, if there is a problem. The objective should be clearly defined and agreed, i.e. applying for the prime purpose of obtaining funds will not work. The project has to be supported by relevant specialist consultants study reports (already in place – see D-3) etc.

Ref. D-3: speaks for itself!

Ref. D-4: Sometimes you wonder “who leads who” (sometimes by the nose) to where? And why?

Ref. F-1 and F-2: This should do away with the fallacy regarding the origin of beach sand. In this case the sand originates from the sea. So we have to look seawards for solutions.

Recommendation: Ref. G written by John Mifsud is certainly a correct way in general to provide beach protection.

I would however, first of all consider beach replenishment to provide a wider beach over the full length of the border of the bay along the roadside.

This could be done economically in two different ways:

1. With a high capacity Hopper Dredger, such as are being used in the beach and island works in Dubai, (ref. B-3 above), harvesting sand from sandbars further out seawards in Mellieha Bay (clearly visible by when sea is calm and to be surveyed first) and “rainbow spouting” the sand over the bows in places as required. This would be a two to three day operation and could be scheduled when one of these vessels passes via Malta Drydocks (annual inspection) when returning to Holland to save on mobilization / demobilization costs.

2. With a multi component containerised (for road transport) mini cutter suction dredger with floating pipeline, similarly harvesting the sand from the bars out in the bay and piping the water-sand mix onto the beach in sufficient quantities.

Using method 1 or 2 one could provide a somewhat excessive amount of sand. Monitor any erosion or littoral drift over the following years before deciding on a repeat replenishment after so many years, as is usually done if sand is available, or else install beach protection as per Ref. G. above.

The road will become a seawall and, considering the steady rise in seawater levels and changing weather patterns, a designed solution should be adopted for reinforcing/level raising and widening (to include sufficient parking area) the existing road.

Note

Method 2 was proposed to the then Maritime Authority by the undersigned, as representative of a Dutch Civil Port and Coastal Engineering and Construction Co. around 1990, on the basis of a nationwide beach replenishment programme for all Maltese sandy beaches. The then Authority could not accept such proposal unfortunately.

Kees de Jong

SLIEMA