Visit www.stopthedust.org

For the first time last week stakeholders representing different interests came together to discuss the problem of dust pollution caused by the construction industry and to exchange views on a way forward.

I have been following this issue closely ever since a petition was filed last year with the European Parliament's Petitions Committee, of which I am a member, by a Maltese citizen complaining of pollution emitted by a construction plant in his neighbourhood. Other complaints have since flowed into my office about different localities in Malta and Gozo.

Last week's meeting of stakeholders was chaired by Marie Briguglio and saw the participation of leading asthma expert Steve Montefort along with residents Ronald Formosa and Michael Zammit, Astrid Vella and Hubert Theuma from environmental NGOs, Anġlu Xuereb, representing building contractors, John Ebejer, from BICC, and the new MEPA chairman, Austin Walker.

Allow me to share some of the salient points made by the participants.

Recalling a recent study on air pollution in Malta, Dr Montefort pointed out that emissions in Malta exceed the EU limits by about 37 times. Dust particles, he noted, enter our lungs but affect all our system. And it affects not just those suffering from asthma but all of us.

Mr Formosa, a Naxxar resident, and Mr Zammit, a Lija resident, lamented that residents have long been suffering health problems and that construction dust is a continuous inconvenience that has a serious impact on the quality of life.

Astrid Vella, from Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħjar, called for the existing rules on the management of construction sites to be extended to all localities in Malta and Gozo and for an educational campaign to be stepped up.

In the same vein, the Nature Trust's Mr Theuma called for more awareness, pointedly remarking that Maltese laws are yet to be translated into Maltese to be better understood by one and all.

Mr Xuereb, from the federation of building contractors, admitted that the construction industry does contribute to the problem, although he added that it was not the only one. According to him, dust emitted from soil and dusty roads constituted a greater cause. Nevertheless, he affirmed that the industry was ready to cooperate and has even presented its own proposals which, he noted, have been left to gather... dust.

Mr Ebejer, who presides over the Building Industry Consultative Council, noted that it is easy to point fingers but, in some ways, we are all responsible for the current state of affairs given that, as a society, we have encouraged more construction activity and more development. He listed certain measures that have already been introduced, and others that are in the pipeline cautioning, however, that new rules come at a cost.

In a frank intervention, Mr Walker, admitted that "definitely, enforcement is one of Mepa's weak spots and it needs to be addressed in the upcoming reform of the authority".

He said there are five monitoring stations measuring air quality across the country and, whereas air quality readings have improved since 2004, they have still not gone down to 2001 and 2002 levels.

It was a useful exchange and it helped all concerned get a better understanding of what is at stake and what needs to be done to get our act together. And, as Mr Walker aptly put it, we do need to listen more to each other.

Fine. But once we do that we need to act. And, given the serious health implications, there is no more time to lose.

I hasten to add that I find it very disappointing that four and a half years after Malta joined the EU we still find ourselves way below EU standards on air quality. The European Commission confirmed as much in a petition filed by Mr Zammit with the European Parliament. I will see to it that his petition remains open until the law is fully observed and until an adequate improvement has been registered in air quality in Malta and Gozo. If infringement proceedings are necessary to push us into action, then so be it.

This is not to say that we should embark on a witchhunt against anyone, still less the construction industry. But we must certainly redress the balance that has swayed too far away from residents' rights and our public health.

To be sure, raising standards comes at a cost, although this should surely be offset against the savings that can be registered in our public health bill.

But this is not just about costs or savings. More than that, this is about the need to show more respect towards each other. A little consideration and some more respect can often go far in reducing inconvenience.

So let's work together to stop the dust. If you want to learn more about this issue you can access a new website that I launched this week at www.stopthedust.org where you can also give your feedback and sign up to support my call to stop the dust.

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.