What really is taking place at Wied il-Mielah?

After the Gharb Local Council spent 200,000 euros during the first phase of the 'environmental project' at Wied Il-Mielah thanks to the help of Structural Funds for Malta (2004 – 2006), the Council has again been granted aid for its second phase of this. This time the aid provided is approximately €570,000 under the Cohesion Fund (2007-2013). This project is co-financed by the Parliamentary Secretariat for Public Dialogue and Information and the Gharb Local Council.

I am not going to ask into whose pockets these money are going.

However, did or is anybody monitoring what is really taking place here? I doubt it or else somebody is keeping a closed eye (no surprises in this republic).

The photos of some works taking palce here speaks volumes. Why do one need to destroy the natural rock formations in order to be replaced by 'unprofessionally done rubble walls?

In this photo to your left you can see how the natural rocks are being dug out and with the same stones, somebody tried to make a rubble wall instead. If this is not a waste of money what is then?

Can you spot the difference?

Why is the raw seawage overflow still in motion even though the valley and discharged into the sea without being treated whatsoever?

Look at the raw sewage running along this picturesque valley. Thank god you believe in that you can't smell it while reading. Does the Gharb council really treat this place as a gem?

The EU Commission is aware of delays in meeting the requirements to ractify the situation. It is hoped that the Commission will scrutinise the implementation of environmental legislation as regards this matter and I hope that you and I will not be fined if the Commission will start a legal infringment procedures including application to the European Court of Justice.



Malta has an obligation to have ALL watsewater treated before discharge into the sea by March 2007 and hence my (and your) government is infringing the Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive.

Dears
Prim Minister
PS for Dialogue
Gharb LC
Gozo Minister
Water Services Corp.
Health Inspectirate
MEPA (?)

Please wake up.

EU Update: Raw Sewage Discharge at Valley and into the Sea

During a Press Conference at Wied il-Mielah at Gharb, Arnold Cassola, Chairperson of Alternattiva Demokratika - The Green Party, said that despite the slogan of Eco-Ghawdex and the construction of a new municipal wastewater treatment plant with European funds in Gozo, raw sewage is still being discharged into the sea at Wied Il-Mielah in the north-west of the island.

Arnold Cassola was accompanied by EP election candidate Yvonne Ebejer Arqueros and myself as the AD Secretary General and spokesperson for Gozo.

Prof Cassola added, "It is understood that the local water utility, the Water Services Corporation (WSC) was supposed to build a pumping station at Wied il-Mielah to transfer the sewage coming out from the villages of Gharb, San Lawrenz, St. Lucija and Ghammar to the new sewage treatment plant at Ras il-Hobz - thus preventing the further discharge of raw sewage into the sea at Wied Il-Mielah. This has not happened."

"We understand that by March 2007, all sewage in Malta and Gozo had to be treated prior to disposal into the sea. This is not happening at Wied iI-Mielah, Gozo and this is therefore in violation of the EU Urban Wastewater Directive."

For this reason I informed the EU Commission about this violation of EU law.

During the press conference I said that Alternattiva Demokratika - The Green Party is therefore asking the Commission to intervene on this issue, which is not only endangering the biodiversity of the area but also the health of people in Gozo. Various written reports were sent to the MEPA section in charge but no answer was ever given.

We are also suggesting that given that a pumping station in Wied il-Mielah has not been built, the WSC should consider the construction of a small sewage treatment plant so that instead of pumping sewage all the way to Ras il-Hobz for treatment and disposal, the community in the west of Gozo could have a source of 2nd class clean and safe water within their community for irrigation and other 2nd class water uses - as a substitute for groundwater which is being extracted at an unsustainable rate.

This beneficial project would contribute to the cutting down on groundwater extraction and would save on the capital costs of laying sewage mains and resurfacing of roads, and also on the energy costs in pumping the sewage across the whole of Gozo, whilst getting nothing in return.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gft14ZSNDig

Let's hope that common sense prevails.

Cheers

Victor

Id-Drenaġġ f'Għawdex

L-aħħar li ktibt fil-blogg huwa dwar 'Salty Valley' jew aħjar Wied il-Mielaħ (ara HAWN).

Semmejt l-irwejjaħ tad-drenaġġ li wieħed ixomm waqt li jasal qrib it-Tieqa Naturali ta' Wied il-Mieħal.

Min ma marx f'Wied il-Mielaħ?

Gonzi mar u ħa ritratti sbieħ jiltaqa' mall-press ftit qabel l-elezzjoni tal-Kunsill lokali ta' l-Għarb. (ara ritratt)

Anke lill-Fenech Adami ħaduh hemm. Saħansitra Peppi ta' Xarabank mar hemm jieħu l-filmati bħala eżempju ta' kemm morna tajjeb mill-fondi ta' l-Unjoni Ewropeja.




Govanna marret kemm-il darba u wkoll jidher li ġibdulha ftit ritratti mhux ħażin.

Ġibdulha ritratt mas-Sindku u ma' l-eċċellenza tagħha Danuta Hubner, Kumississarju ta' l-EU. (araw it-ritratti bit-tieqa ta' Wied il-Mielaħ fil-background).



Iżda l-akbar ċerimonja saret kien meta ġiet f'Wied il-Mielaħ l-Eċċ. Tagħha Danuta Hubner. Jidher li dak inhar kien il-bnazzi u allura drenaġġ inixxi ma kienx hemm fil-Wied. Dak inhar niżlu xi nies mill-Għarb lebsin l-għonnella bħala parti miċ-ċerimonja (li ma tantx aħna neqsin minnhom) taż-żjara tal-Kummissarju Ewropew li qaltilna ma nafx kemm il-elf Euro ser tagħtina sabiex Wied il-Mielaħ jiġi riabilitat (ara r-ritratt). Kien hemm Ġorġ ix-Xemx u anke Peppi l-Munsuħa mar idoqq l-argunett ta' l-idejn. In-nies ta' l-Għarb ittamajna li r-riħa tad-drenaġġ mill-wied għal ġol baħar forsi ser tieqaf darba għal dejjem. Kemm morna żmerċ!




Imma l-isbaħ ritratt huwa tal-Kummissarju Ewropew tipponta jdejha lejn irħama kommemorattiva li għadha mwaħħla fil-post sal-ġurnata tal-lum. Mhux faċli taraha. Imma jekk tħares lejn il-wied u tibda tara d-drenaġġ inixxi fit-triq tal-wied....propju hemmhekk issib l-irħama kommemorattiva ta' l-Eċċellenza tagħha.




Ilni nitkellem ma' nies mir-raħal dwar jekk bħali iddejjaqhomx ir-riħa taqsmek tad-drenaġġ li hemm f'dan il-wied pittoresk. L-omerta' pero' hija nkredibbli. Donnu kulħadd jibża jiftaħ ħalqu li ma jmorrux jagħtuh xi transfere jew biża' "li lit-tifla ma jdaħħluhielix mal-gvern". Din il-ġimgha John Mizzi
minn Ta' Sannat ċempilli u qalli bil-'complaints' li qed jaslulu minn turisti li jgħażlu li jiġu Għawdex għall-mixjiet qalb il-kampanja. Ovvjament dawn l-ilmenti huma dwar id-drenaġġ ħiereġ mill-wied u li jibqa' nieżel fil-baħar. Interessanti li meta ghedtlu biex jiġi biex jieħu sehem f'konferenza stampa, dan qalli li ma jridx "li ma jmorrux il-kaċċaturi jagħmlu għalija meta nkun waħdi bit-turisti f'dawn l-inħawi". Tassew għedt li huma ħafna li għadhom iħarsu l-interessi tal-but milli tal-pajjiż!





Illum għidt li l-aħjar hu li nagħmel dmiri bħala cittadin li dejjem ħallast it-taxxi u għalhekk ktibt lill-Pollution Section tal-MEPA. Hekk l-aħjar li wieħed jagħmel: imur f'ras il-għajn mill-ewwel.


Ma taqbilx?



U ktibtilhom hekk:


Sinjur/a,

Nixtieq inressaq l-ilment tiegħi formalment bħala resident mill-Għarb, bħala tax-payer u bħala individwu li għandi r-raba' fl-inhawi ta' Wied il-Mielaħ.

Ta' sikwit nisimghu fuq il-mezzi ta' l-istampa ftaħir dwar fondi kbar li ntefqu mill-Fondi Strutturali Ewropej (2004-06) u fondi oħra li akkwista l-Kunsill Lokali ta' l-Għarb sabiex jiġi riabilitat Wied il-Mielah fl-Gharb (Restauration and Management of Strom Water Project).

Minkejja dan kollu ir-riħa ta' drenaġġ taqsmek għadha persistenti sal ġurnata mqaddsa tal-lum. Barra minnhekk, issa li beda l-istaġun tax-xita, il-ħama u d-drenaġġ huwa evidenti għaddej mill-wied u jibqa nieżel fil-bahar.

Tista' tikkonfermali jekk:

1) hemmx sezzjoni fil-MEPA li tiehu hsieb li dawn l-irwejjaħ mid-denaġġ għaddej fl-apert jieqaf minnufih;

2) Jekk huwiex normali li d-drenaġġ jitħalla jibqa' ħiereġ mill-wied u jibqa' sejjer fil-baħar;

3) Jekk 'flow' ta' drenaġġ hekk fl-apert jagħmilx sens mall-kunċett li qed jadotta l-Gvern Nazzjonalista f'dak li qed isejjah bħala Eko-Għawdex;

4) X'pass qiegħdin jittieħdu jew ser jittieħdu sabiex l-ilment tiegħi jasal f'ras il-għajn u jissewwew dawn il-ħsarat ambjentali u l-'health and safety hazards' li jaffaċċjaw nies bħali li jgħaddu minn dan il-wied. Dan minbarra dawk it-turisti li jgħażlu li jiġu jżuru 'l Għawdex tagħna għall-mixjiet qalb il-kampanja u japprezzaw il-wirt naturali tagħna. Żgur li ma jista' qatt ikun li japprezzaw d-drenaġġ f'wiċċ il-wied u l-intejjen ta' rwejjaħ li dan iġib miegħu.

Mehmuz ma' din l-email qed nibaghtlek ritratti (4 b'kollox f'din l-email) li ħadt illum stess it-3 t'Ottubru 2008. F'e-mail separata ser nibagħtlek ukoll filmat tas-sitwazzjoni li sfortunatament ma tidhirx fuq il-mezzi ta' l-istampa lokali.

Sabiex l-ispetturi jsibu l-post eżatt ta' l-overflow, bizzejjed li jsibu l-irħama kommemorattiva (mehmuża fl-email) tal-H.E. Danuta Hubner, Kumississarju ta' l-EU, peress li l-agħar parti tad-drenaġġ jinstab eżattament quddiem l-eċċellenza tagħha.

Noffri s-servizzi volontarji tiegħi biex jekk trid, meta l-ispetturi jiġu jispezzjonaw dawn l-inħawi jistgħu iċempluli u jien stess nurihom fejn eżatt jinstab dan id-diżastru ambjentali.

B'hekk żgur ħadd ma jkun jista' jgħid li 'ġie u ma ra jew xamm xejn'.

Grazzi u nitolbok iżżommni infurmat.

Victor Galea
130, Triq il-Knisja Għarb, Għawdex.
Mob: 79017017

Hawn dan il-video rated AO - arah jekk trid:

Have you been to Salty Valley?

I remember well that many years ago, one of my nephews was here from Australia. I was still little. My brother Charlie told me to take his son to 'Wied il-Mielah'. I did and was happy to show my nephew around and explaining in 'English' the environs. And I thought that in English, 'Wied il-Mielah' should be translated into 'Salty Valley'. How funny.

I still remember the smell of drainage in this beautiful valley. In those years there were no commemorative marble plaques showing that EU dignitaries who visited the valley and no indications of the ceremonies which were to be held to celebrate the Euros from EU funding project for the rehabilitation of the valley.

Indeed, every now and then, we hear the Gharb PN Mayor and his Minister Govanna psoing for photos for the press on this site, in order to say that Gozo is to continue enjoying EU Funds, as the Gharb Local Council has succeeded in obtaining further funds for the Rehabilitation of Wied il-Mielah - not 'salty valley' anymore, but still an open drainage reserviour. Perpahs the MEPA enforcement section may like to pay a visit now that the rain season started rather than coming to gozo on a nice sunny day in Summer!

"Wied il-Mielah – towards an ecologically and culturally sensitive sustainable tourism is the name of the €600,000 project, which will be co-financed by 85% from the European Regional Development Fund. The project will give a touristic dimension to the works already carried out whilst respecting the environment."

Now imagine the tourists on this site TODAY, walking amongst the drainage flow going down from the valley to the sea! the smell is unbearable!

It seems that the rehabilitation of the valley are solely used for the construction of rubble of walls and bridges which have been destroyed, cleaning of the valley basin and resurfacing the road leading to the valley in order to make it more accessible .... yes they want more cars on eco-Ghawdex!

"Attractions including rustic furniture" - where over the drainage flow?

"Observation binoculars and audio visual equipment will be installed." - why? Perhaps to see closely the illegal hunting and trapping taking place on-site?

"The project will compliment the works carried out through the first phase also through the Structural Funds Program for Malta 2004-2006"

I wonder....

I honestly wish well for this project, but alas, if you find it hard to believe me, please have a look at the photo with the drainage flow taken today. Don't hope for any comments from the Gozo Toursim Assosiation. They have no flats or Hotels in this area.

Thank god that you can't smell it from the comfort of your home.