A European statistic issued by Eurostat this week should spur the government into taking action.

Eurostat issued a release showing that in 2023, 12.2% of the EU population reported that pollution, grime or environmental issues affected their household.

But Malta's percentage was far higher. In fact, it was the country in the EU with the highest share of population reporting such problems - 34.7%, which is more than a third of the population. This is just over 14% higher than the country which had the second highest percentage (Greece with 20.5%).

Pollution, grime and environmental issues in themselves incorporate a wide range of issues. EU statistics on income and living conditions gives some examples of pollution, grime and environmental issues, mentioning smoke, dust, unpleasant smells or polluted water.

It is easy to speculate as to what some of the problems people in Malta face are. Dust created from road works or building works would likely be one such cause, and on this more measures should be taken by contractors to ensure that minimal dust is created during works.

Another could be the dirt that is seen when simply walking around the streets of heavy urban areas. Garbage left on the side of the roads for hours and hours on end also adds to it. These issues can bring with them certain infestations, such as rodents or cockroaches, which everyone can agree is a cause for concern.

Then there is the issue of sea slime during the summer months. One could possibly widen the scope of pollution to also include noise pollution, which is a problem in some areas such as St Julian's, but not only.

In terms of environmental issues, one could point out the lack of greenery in urban areas, which can have an impact on people, or perhaps fields being used for illegal dumping.

These are just some of the issues that are clearly visible in Malta.

Eurostat, in its release, said that at EU level, exposure to pollution, grime or other environmental problems increased with the degree of urbanisation. While 6.8% of people living in rural areas were affected, this share was 10.5% in town and suburbs and 17.2% in cities, it said, in reference to the EU as a whole.

That argument does of course make sense.

Malta, although small, is heavily urbanised for its size. It has built up quickly in recent years, the population rose speedily, and it has high tourism numbers. 

But this means that the authorities need to do that much more to tackle the impacts.

There are other small countries in Europe that had a far lower percentage in the statistics than Malta had. For example, one can take a look at Luxembourg. Only 9.5% of its population reported that pollution, grime or environmental issues affected their household. That is remarkable.

It is clear that more needs to be done to identify all the problems affecting residents in Malta in terms of pollution, dirt and environmental issues, and to take action on tackling them. This is something the government should set as a priority.