Selmun seaweed there to stay

Anyone heading to picturesque Selmun Bay and expecting to be able to dip into its crystal-clear waters, following the Malta Tourism Authority's confirmation that it would be cleaned up yesterday, is in for a major disappointment.

The "clean-up" was only referring to the rubbish on the beach, despite the fact that the issue was clearly the thick, black carpet of seaweed that is clogging the bay and rendering the sea inaccessible.

It seems the MTA and the Tourism Ministry were not on the same wavelength when they exchanged information on the fate of Selmun Bay, resulting in false hopes.

As planned, the beach cleaning section of the Tourism Ministry did go to Selmun yesterday morning, confirmed Joseph Dalmas, office coordinator in the Tourism Ministry and responsible for the beach cleaning section, but to remove about 20 garbage bags of rubbish and not the seaweed that is the major problem.

The beach may now be clean, but it looks like the algae are there to stay... unless nature drags the black mass out the same way it brought it in.

The problem remains a matter of inaccessibility, at least from land, the beach being located at the bottom of a steep hill, reached through a narrow, winding road.

The appropriate trucks and the required sieve-like equipment, used to collect the algae, while sifting away any material that should remain in the sea, could not reach the area, although it was possible for two men to cart away 20 bags of garbage, including the remnants of barbecues.

But the main issue, apparently, is the fact that seaweed is "as precious as gold" to the marine environment and, strictly speaking, should not be touched, according to "international norms". From last year, seaweed is being removed from the more popular beaches, the MTA's director product planning Mario Attard said. The "prime" sites needed to be cleaned even in winter, when tourists still opted for a swim.

This may not go down well internationally, but special allowances have been afforded and an unwritten understanding reached, given that Malta is an island, he said. Selmun Bay, off the beaten track, does not seem to fall within the category of a "prime" beach... although it would appear that Balluta Bay does.

Meanwhile, the seaweed at Selmun will have to be considered a "treasure" of the marine environment and not an eyesore, or an obstacle to a swim.