Ghallis landfill to serve for seven years

The engineered landfill at Ghallis ta' Gewwa will be filled up within seven years of its commissioning and will not serve for 20 years as originally planned.

Since the government endorsed the idea of digging a landfill at Ghallis in June 2004, Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi and Environment Minister George Pullicino have often declared the engineered landfill would be taking domestic waste for 20 years.

According to the environment impact statement drawn up for the Ghallis project by AIS Environmental Ltd and SLR consultants, however, the engineered landfill will have a total capacity of 1.7 million cubic metres of non-hazardous waste. At a filling rate of 250,000 tonnes of waste per year, therefore, the landfill will be filled up within seven years from its opening.

Only the section of Ghallis landfill which takes hazardous waste - with a total capacity of 100,000 cubic metres - will serve for 20 years at a rate of 5,000 cubic metres of hazardous waste arriving at the landfill each year.

The project also involves the construction of a facility to treat hazardous waste and a gas and leachate control system.

It emerged during a series of public consultation meetings held in Naxxar yesterday that the project should get the Malta Environment and Planning Authority's go ahead by the beginning of summer.

Vincent Gauci, assistant director at Mepa's Environment Protection Directorate, said the landfill was being considered by the authority as an "urgent matter", adding that a decision would be taken by the middle of this year.

Given its proximity to the old Maghtab dump and the height restrictions imposed on the new landfill, the consultants said visual impacts would be minimal and the area would be completely rehabilitated when it ceases to operate.

As far as ecology in the area goes, the land has common habitats such as garigue and steppe, most of which are disturbed, and also agricultural land.

The EIS consultants said measures should be taken to control gases and dust, concluding that the effect of the landfill on human health would be "negligible". In this respect, the project was also subject to an integrated pollution prevention and control (IPPC) permit. The consultants said proliferation of rats and other pests could be controlled through good waste management practices.

Mepa said it would be accepting the public's comments till February 1 at eiamalta@mepa.org.mt