Lifeguards to watch over Ghadira

Ghadira Bay, one of the largest sandy beaches in Malta, will from next month have two lifeguard stations manned by qualified personnel, the Malta Tourism Authority said. The two towers will be located on the east and west sides of the bay.

The authority manages Ghadira, Bugibba's perched beach and St George's Bay. Lifeguards possessing international certificates in life-saving are already engaged at the latter two.

The MTA was commenting in the wake of the death by drowning of a 30-year-old woman in Ghadira's shallow waters over the weekend.

Following the incident, the issue of the lack of lifeguards on one of Malta's most extensive, and probably most popular stretch of sand, was raised.

The authority is working to ensure that Blue Flag status requirements are met on the beaches. The international Blue Flag programme, overseen in Malta by Nature Trust, promotes sustainable development in coastal areas through high water quality, safety and environmental standards.

It is actually the Civil Protection Department that is responsible for lifeguard operations on beaches. But for the first time this year, this duty is being shared with the MTA, said CPD director Peter Cordina.

He said that due to a lack of resources, the department only covered Paradise Bay, Ghadira and Armier. The CPD and the MTA are due to meet today to review the areas and discuss better planning in terms of lifeguards and beaches to cover.

The job was carried out by NGOs under the direction of the CPD, Mr Cordina said, pointing again to the insufficient personnel and the dependence on volunteers.

In fact, this year volunteers will be deployed from the Civil Protection volunteer corps, for the first time, to cover the three beaches under the CPD's responsibility. As it was, beaches would start to be covered by late June on Saturdays, Sundays, Mondays and public holidays. Additional coverage was impossible, Mr Cordina said.

The personnel were trained by the department and would learn how to carry out first aid and other life-saving techniques to be able to handle accidents on the beach and not just at sea.

Where possible, a couple of dinghies will also be employed, while the department's launch, the Garibaldi, will stand by between Malta and Gozo.