opinion

In troubled waters NOBODY SEEMS TO GIVE A SH** ABOUT THE STATE OF OUR SEA, EVEN THOUGH WE’RE SWIMMING IN PLENTY OF IT, SAYS JAMES DEBONO

Our coast and beaches are the microcosm of the rest of Maltese society.
The anarchic nature of the Maltese is perfectly depicted near the beach. Our lack of respect for collective spaces is never more evident than in the territorial behaviour of some bullies who descend on our shores like the hordes of Atilla the Hun. Our beaches are on the receiving end of all the pollution produced in our country. If we dispose of our sh** in the sea and then we literally end up swimming in it; a sort of instant karma!

The struggle for one square metre of sand
Thousands flock to the bays of Ghadira and Golden Bay. Those who can afford an umbrella and a sun bed can, at least, sunbathe in relative comfort even if the distances between sun bed and sun bed are becoming smaller. The rest of the people struggle to find a few inches in between the sun beds. Even the early risers among them would find the best places of the beach already occupied by empty sun beds. Yet some people do succeed in conquering a few square metres of sandy territory for their entire tribe and look with suspicion at any intruder. After all, they need space for their mobile kitchen and sitting room fully equipped with TV, radio and other sources of noise pollution. Some even have the arrogance to turn an enormous part of the bay into a beach volley pitch while others do not have the space to move without bumping into a neighbour.

Speedboat free zones
Swimming in the deep has become a risky business. The cleaner, but not so deep waters are speedboat territory. The common citizen is condemned to swim in other people’s urine or he risks being hit by these cowboys. It is high time that our major bays are declared speedboat free zones. Forget about enforcing legal restrictions, such rules cannot be seriously enforced. Speedboats should be left to roam remote and in very deep waters far away from the popular beaches. After all, the thrill of a speedboat is adventure and fun! It is disturbing to see those rich "hamalli" driving their speedboats in to our beaches in order to impress the girls. It is obvious that these are just show-offs. Another place where private boats should be restricted is the Blue Lagoon in Comino. The area reserved for swimmers is too small and the uniqueness of this place justifies a zero tolerance policy for all private seacraft. One single accident could ruin this little paradise of ours.

The Barbarian hordes
We are not even capable of keeping our beaches clean and safe. Most or all of them lack basic facilities like showers, first aid clinics and beach wardens. Gradually people might even be ready to pay a small charge in order to benefit from decent facilities. Beach wardens should be employed to stop those irresponsible people who litter our beaches. Beach wardens should also prevent the various inconsiderate acts inflicted by the barbarian hordes on the quiet and decent citizen. The carrying capacity for each bay should also be established and beach wardens should prevent the over crowding of our beaches. Private businesses operating in the beaches should also fall under the scrutiny of these wardens. For example, I wonder if those people operating the sun bed business are paying their due taxes? Do these people have an exemption from issuing tax receipts to the customer? Is it legal to employ children in seaside kiosks? The authorities seem to have decided that the laws of the land do not apply on our coasts (with the exception of the law banning topless bathing).

Tribal gatherings
The BBQ season has started. I have nothing against such cheap fun, after all this is a very pleasant way of spending our long hot summer nights. Yet what happens when these BBQ’s turn out to be massive tribal gatherings in which music is played as loud as in a disco? It is an anthropological fact that the Maltese like to build a mobile home wherever they colonise for more than two hours. These activities are bound to generate waste.
Certain practices, like dumping charcoal in the sand, might also have tragic consequences for the safety of others. Would it not be a good idea if proper bins were introduced where such material could be disposed of safely? One of the jobs of the beach wardens should be to ensure these BBQ’s do not turn into an ecological nightmare. The only way to do this is to impose on the spot fines for those who leave a mess. Most people like to enjoy the quiet atmosphere of the night and should not be subjected to the torture inflicted by the barbarian tribes who descend on our shores at night.

Desperate to swim
One of the most shocking scenes in summer is seeing people swimming in Qalet Marku just opposite Mount Maghtab. How on earth can these people enjoy the toxic gases emitted from the infernal mountain? How on earth do these people feel safe swimming in an area notorious for dioxins and other toxins?
This phenomenon demonstrates the desperation of the Maltese to find a bathing spot.
It is also not surprising that a large number of affluent Maltese prefer to behave like tourists in their own country. They prefer to pay for a weekend in a hotel in order to enjoy the facilities of a lido in front of a relatively clean swimming pool! It is also interesting that once upon a time these lidos were places in which everyone could bathe and swim without paying a single cent. Unfortunately we have allowed big and small developers to nibble away at our limited coastline. Today we are realising that we do not have enough space to bathe and swim. Just look at Qawra - a whole chunk of coast has been privatised in just a decade and a half. And what was the result? It is no longer accessible to the common people. Just look at the Paceville and San Giljan coast. And can anyone swim in the Hilton’s yacht marina? It’s just the same old story of the mighty encroaching on the land, which originally belonged to all of us.

Who killed the goose?
The reality is that we can't keep treating our sea as a dumping ground. We can’t keep on dumping our sewage into the sea as we are doing in Wied Ghammieq. We cannot keep on sacrificing more of our coast to fish farms if their impact on the quality of our sea is not regularly monitored. Our seas are a precious resource. When we contaminate the sea we are simply killing the goose that lays the golden eggs. Or have we already killed the goose?
As a country dependent on tourism, environmental protection should be our national priority. It is a pity that we think we can attract tourists through building more five star hotels. We seem to forget that we are living in a one star country. Our first priority should be that of upgrading our entire country for both tourists and locals to enjoy. Let’s all live in a five star country!