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James Debono
Just a few days after tempers flared in Marsascala on the controversial Sant Antnin waste recycling plant, fires raged at the Zwejra landfill but the source of the blaze remains unconfirmed.
Probing on Malta’s waste problems is Wasteserv chief executive Chris Ciantar, who on Wednesday said he was not excluding anything as to the cause of the Zwejra fire.
“From the information gathered it cannot be established whether the Zwejra landfill took fire on its own or whether it took fire due to an act of sabotage. Yet the frequency of these fires raises a number of suspicions.”
Asked whether security is lacking at the landfill, Chris Ciantar explained that a Lm30,000 fence has been built around Zwejra, although the landfill at Maghtab, now closed, remains unprotected.
And whilst the fires at Zwejra have been doused, tempers in Marsascala are escalating at the siting of the upgraded recycling plant.
Chris Ciantar says he does not blame residents for not trusting government after the Maghtab experience. However he would not give in to Marsascala resident’s demands for a signed declaration binding the government not to develop Sant Antnin beyond its 71,000 tons capacity, saying it is not necessary.
“We cannot bind future generations. But if any such decision is taken in the future, a new application will have to be presented to MEPA because the Sant Antnin plant cannot take more than 71,000 tons.”
But while attention has focused on Sant Antnin, pressures are also mounting on meeting deadlines for the Ghallis landfill, right next door to Maghtab.
The environment impact assessment on the Ghallis engineered landfill has still not been completed.
The Zwejra landfills have given the government some respite as the application for the Ghallis landfill with MEPA is still pending. But the engineered landfill has to start working by September 2006, Chris Ciantar told MaltaToday.
By that time the three controlled landfills at Zwejra would have served their life-span. So far, two of the three areas used for landfilling at Zwejra have been used.
The EIA process had started in January 2003, more than two years ago. Yet Ciantar insists that everything is proceeding according to schedule.
“The first draft of the EIA has already been put for public consultation. The second stage of public consultation will take place in October. The EIA will be finalised by the end of this year.”
Asked why the EIA was taking so long, Chris Ciantar attributed this to studies ordered by MEPA to determine whether rocks extracted in digging the Ghallis landfill could be used for commercial purposes.
“The first studies were considered by MEPA as inconclusive. Further studies have shown that these rocks cannot be used for commercial purposes. This process took a whole year.”
These rocks will now be used in works related to the landfill.
But another storm could also be brewing as Wasteserve will soon announce plans on waste-to-energy conversion. A draft on the conversion option will soon be issued for public consultation.
The conclusions of the two committees set up in March to analyse the option will have a great bearing on Malta’s future decisions on waste management, especially on the issue of incineration.
Ciantar is adamant on using ‘waste-to-energy’ instead of the dreaded ‘i’ word: “There are various technological options through which waste can be treated before being dumped in the landfill.”
Wasteserve is also focusing on the first phase of the landfill which will have a seven-year capacity. In the meantime the government will be seeking new technological solutions, through which the influx of waste to the landfill will be reduced.
“In this way the landfill could last for more than twenty years as originally planned.”
jdebono@newsworksltd.com
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