I refer to Henry Schembri's article "Maghtab: incineration..." (The Sunday Times, August 1) and would like to confirm that the Maghtab waste disposal site was closed at the end of April, 2004, and present works on site are related solely to its rehabilitation.
The Maghtab waste disposal site was closed in line with Government's commitment to reduce this potential human health hazard and its environmental impacts. The waste dump is being rehabilitated by WasteServ Malta Ltd on behalf of Government.
Capital funding for the rehabilitation of Maghtab together with the Qortin and Wied Fulija landfills has been identified as part of €8.4 million made available through European Union structural funds.
The rehabilitation of Maghtab follows an investigation and study of the site to develop environmentally sound strategies for its rehabilitation.
This was achieved by an investigation of the waste masses, measurement and monitoring of aerial emissions, sea and groundwater quality and temperature profiles.
These were used to assess the impact that this waste disposal site is having on the surrounding environment and the impact that it would have in the future should there be no intervention.
The initial stage of this project is the topographical survey of the closed landfill to determine the final shape and quantities of the materials to be shifted. Following the completion of the shifting of the material, the installation and commissioning of the aerial emissions management systems will be carried out in a number of stages.
It is anticipated that work will start as soon as the contracts have been awarded. The contract works, commissioning, training and handover periods are expected to last some 18 months in total. This will enable subsequent phases of the rehabilitation to progress.
Full restoration of these sites, which will include establishment of vegetation and development of afteruses, will take place when the emissions from the site are under control.
The results of the studies carried out at Maghtab have defined a number of immediate and longer-term actions for the rehabilitation which will be implemented in a number of phases.
The rehabilitation project will involve the installation of environmental monitoring systems, recontouring the waste within the site boundaries to form access roads and level working platforms, drilling into the waste for steel well installation and the construction of a secure compound to house a gas management plant where the gases collected from the waste masses on Maghtab will be treated.
A number of selected systems will be used to extract gases from within the waste masses and destroy the harmful components before venting to the atmosphere. Such a system will also accelerate the process of returning the sites to beneficial afteruses.
The installation of the aerial emissions management system is designed to reduce the environmental impact of the landfills. However, to minimise any impacts the construction or operation may cause, procedures will be adopted to eliminate nuisances from vehicle traffic, litter, odours, noise, vermin, insects and other pests, fires/smoke, and dust.
Due to the closure and rehabilitation of Maghtab, WasteServ has developed a temporary waste storage facility at a site adjacent to the existing Maghtab dump, known as Ta' Zwejra.
The facility is equipped and lined with a 500-mm thick foundation layer, a geosynthetic clay liner, a 2-mm thick textured geomembrane, a puncture-resistant geotextile protector and a leachate drainage system.
A gas extraction system is also being installed to help collect the gases and control emission and odours.
This project is a transitional solution, until the permanent engineered landfill is set in place. In creating this waste facility, a synergy is being created with the Maghtab rehabilitation programme.
This will be achieved by using the same gas extraction compound that will be used for the management of the gases at the Maghtab dump site. Another system will be used to collect and circulate liquids generated by the waste to accelerate the waste stabilisation process.
As far as land reclamation is concerned, I would like to inform readers on the direction WasteServ Malta Ltd is taking on construction material.
WasteServ's key priority is to facilitate the reduction and recovery of excavation, construction and demolition material. Since this material is a finite resource, the aim is to encourage industry to reduce waste while putting the existing surplus material to good use.
Since May 2003 excavation and construction material have not entered the Maghtab site. Old quarries are being restored by infilling with this inert material. This means that 300 trucks of this material are deposited in the old quarries. The already existing inert material at Maghtab is not considered adequate for land reclamation (due to contamination) but will assist in the overall rehabilitation of the former dumping site.
The option to dispose of excavation material in disused quarries is leading to the restoration of these gaping holes, making way for agricultural purposes. Giving back the land for agricultural use is in itself a form of land reclamation. The infilling serves also as a protection for one of Malta's most precious resources - the water table.
As far as incineration is concerned, Government plans on this issue are spelt out clearly in the Solid Waste Management Strategy for the Maltese Islands of 2001. The performance and impact of public participation as well as the planned waste recycling and composting facilities on the volume of waste going to landfill will be monitored and assessed.
In the event that either of the two is not satisfactory and, given the constraints to develop new void for landfilling, new waste treatment technologies will have to be considered to minimise the amount of land dedicated to waste management.