Getting down to stopping the dust

Earlier this month, I met a group of residents from Naxxar who complained with me about dust emitted from a construction plant in the neighbourhood.

In the main, residents feel that the dust emitted from the plant is a health hazard, creates a huge inconvenience to their daily lives and even has an impact on the price of their property. I could also sense that, as residents, they feel let down by the authorities as the problem has been ignored for far too long. They also presented me with a petition.

Naxxar is just one of a number of localities facing this kind of problem and I have since received other complaints from residents in other localities.

Of course, it is not for me to determine scientifically whether dust levels in the area exceed EU standards, and this is a prerequisite for me to able to do something about this problem. But there is indeed an EU law on air quality that seeks to control dust particles in the air because these can be a cause of serious concern for public health.

Moreover, according to the European Commission, dust emissions in the Lija neighbourhood, which is not far at all from Naxxar, do exceed EU limits. And according to a report in The Times this week (November 24), Mepa itself admitted that fine dust concentrations (PM10) in the air "do exceed limit values specified in EU directives".

Right after my meeting with Naxxar residents, I met the owners of the construction plant in question. I have to say that the meeting was very cordial and that the owners expressed with me their readiness to take measures in order to reduce the inconvenience. They also agreed to my request to draw up a list of such measures and to indicate which ones they would be prepared to implement immediately. Indeed, I understand that the dust stockpile which was kept right adjacent to the main road, Labour Avenue, has been relocated.

I will continue to follow this and other complaints on dust pollution very closely because I believe that it is high time for residents' rights to be better respected. The construction industry appears set to cooperate and this was confirmed to me directly by the federation of building contractors, which I met soon after the Naxxar meeting.

I also met the director responsible for the environment within Mepa and, there too, I was met with a general understanding of the problem and a willingness to get down to dealing with it. This reflects the position of the current Administration, which is committed, in the PN electoral programme, to deal with dust pollution in full respect of residents' rights.

So getting down to it is precisely what is needed.

A few weeks ago I wrote in this column announcing my intention to step up my efforts to campaign against dust pollution. That day I received an angry e-mail from an irate resident who had just been prevented from leaving his house that very morning because he was blocked by a clutter of construction trucks and related vehicles. I could not help but empathise with this person.

In order to step up the effort, this Friday I will be holding a breakfast meeting bringing together all stakeholders to discuss dust pollution and how best to tackle it.

The event will be addressed by two residents from two different localities who will speak about the concern of residents in relation to dust pollution. Steve Montefort will talk to us about the health implications of ignoring this problem. Astrid Vella from Flimkien Għal Ambjent Aħjar and Hubert Theuma from Nature Trust will spell out the position of NGOs that have themselves been long campaigning on this very issue. The dimension of and from the construction industry will be presented by John Ebejer, from BICC, and by Anġlu Xuereb, from the Federation of Building and Civil Engineering Contractors.

The event will also be addressed by Mepa's new chairman, Austin Walker, who will spell out the authority's intentions on this issue.

Marie Briguglio, herself a household name on environmental issues, will chair the session.

Readers who wish to attend this breakfast meeting can contact my office on 2122 8585 or via e-mail at info@sbusuttilmep.eu to reserve a seat. Entry is free of charge but as places are limited prior reservation is strictly required.

Readers who would like to ask questions to be answered in this column can send an e-mail, identifying themselves, to contact@simonbusuttil.eu or through www.simonbusuttil.eu.

Dr Busuttil is a Nationalist member of the European Parliament.