Quality of life: AD highlights the case of Birzebbuga

Green Party Alternattiva Demokratika yesterday highlighted the quality of life in Birzebbuga, “a locality which is, unfortunately, a ‘good example’ of the negative impacts of development on the quality of life of people,” at a press conference yesterday held next to the Enemalta fuel depot.

Political decisions should always have the quality of life of residents as their primary objective, insisted Pascal Aloisio, a 22year-old AD candidate contesting the general election on the 5th district.

Mr Aloisio said: “The locality we are in at the moment, Birzebbuga, is one of many examples in Malta where development has taken place without the slightest consideration to its impact on people and residents. Just in front of us we have the Enemalta plant, which for years has served as a storage for fuel, totally surrounded by residential units. At Qajjenza, at the edge of Birzebbuga, we had the gas plant, still in operation until four years ago, and also surrounded by a residential zone. On the other side of Birzebbuga, we have the Freeport, which is again too close to the residential zone; it creates a constant inconvenience to residents due to its continuous noise pollution.”

Mr Aloisio continued by explaining how years ago, a housing estate was built in Birzebbuga exactly under the last part of the flight path of airplanes that land at our international over the Freeport. Although this is a massive inconvenience, it seems that residents have got used to it after all these years. However, noise and air pollution are not the best contributors towards residents’ quality of life in the area.

“The power station is also an inconvenience — throughout the 1990s and up to a few years ago due to the emissions from Heavy Fuel Oil, and now be- cause of the gas tanker. In spite of precautions to avoid accidents, its presence in the Freeport still remains worrying. This is regrettable as years ago the Italian company ENEL proposed the construction of a gas pipeline which would have supplied Malta with energy from Sicily.”

Despite all this, Alternattiva Demokratika deputy chairper- son Carmel Cacopardo stated that AD is happy to notice that as a result of increased environmental consciousness, and thanks to the Birzebbuga Local council and Alternattiva Demokratika, the plant at Qajjenza has been dismantled, and the Freeport has finally considered taking action to reduce environmental impacts on residents.

“The Enemalta plant in front of us,” Mr Cacopardo said, “will be dismantled in the coming months, undoubtedly leading to an animated discussion about what should happen with this huge parcel of land.”

This will be a unique opportunity for the entire community of Birzebbuga to be given back community facilities and open spaces after years of savage and intense development.

Mr Cacopardo explained that Alternattiva Demokratika does not want decisions to be imposed on residents. It should be the residents themselves who choose the way forward in order to make the best of this unique opportunity for the good of the entire community.