Agency for beaches being considered
Resources Ministry replacing all beach ladders, bins
Filming and editing: Paul Spiteri Lucas
The government is considering the setting up of an agency which would be responsible for the management of the country's beaches, Tourism Parliamentary Secretary Mario de Marco said this afternoon.
He said that while the Malta Tourism Authority was responsible for St George's Bay and the perched beach in Bugibba, responsibility for the other beaches was fragmented.
Resources Minister George Pullicino said that in the two months that his ministry had been responsible for beaches, practically all beach ladders were replaced. Over 160 new ladders had already been installed.
Rubbish bins were also being changed, starting with 200 on sandy beaches this year. Another 500 were to be changed at a later stage.
Mr Pullicino said 6,000 tonnes of algae were collected by the 60 beach cleaners.
He appealed to the public not to use the new bins for charcoal from barbecues and said that the barbecue skips introduced last year were to be increased.
Dr de Marco said that €4 million from EU funds were being used for the upgrading of facilities at Fond Ghadir and for the regeneration of a sandy beach beneath ta' Fra Ben in Qawra.
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James Muscat
May 13th 2009, 00:36
@ J. Azopardi..."Why should beach concessions exist in the first place ???"
because many people would rather pay a few pounds to avoid carrying umbrellas (or worse deckchairs) around, on buses or the roofs of our cars...I never understood why people complain about the sunbed rentals...even at ghadira I always manage to squeeze myself in, and nobody's ever asked me to move my towel...perhaps i'm just lucky :)
MARY FISHER
May 12th 2009, 23:31
This afternoon my husband and I went to do a spot of sunbathing at Mistra Bay. What a disappointment !!!!!!!!! The beach is full of algae and the seabed full of stones. Besides, not one rubbish bin was in sight. Mistra used to be our Maltese heavenly spot at one time, but no more. No wonder tourists in their cars were arriving and making a quick u-turn to get away from it as quickly as possible. I always thought that with the ado caused by the disco circus at Mistra last year the government would make sure that this pretty and unspoilt bay would get the facelift and care that it so deserves. YES PLEASE, do let's have an agency for beaches only. No department accepts responsibility for the fiasco that is our beaches and if we seriously want tourists to come to this country we'd better buck up our ideas before it is too late.
Galea. L
May 12th 2009, 23:22
Peter Bonnici
Why should we have agencies when we are supposed to have Ministers controlling what is being done or should be done through their respective departments?
Alfred Baldacchino
May 12th 2009, 22:11
This is really good news. Fishing harbour inlets like those of Bugibba and Marsalforn should also be cleaned up of all sorts of unsightly flotsam brought in occasionally by currents and wind.
L Bonnici
May 12th 2009, 20:20
Bins?? In public places abroad such as bays and train stations there are no bins... People are encouraged (and educated) to take their rubbish home with them. Changing the bins into "modern" ones won't do any good..... people have to change their habits and learn to produce less waste, and care for the resources... it's time to start thinking out of the box....
Anthony Magri
May 12th 2009, 19:34
We are going to be charged fees to frequent beaches. That is what all this talking about agencies comes to. The Ministries are giving proof of their inefficiency. And it appears that in this case two quite different ministries are involved.
They by pass their responsibility and transfer it to the private sector with instructions to take charge.
Very easy solutions, making citizens go to the beaches with plenty of money in their pockets to be able to enjoy the sea through paying hefty sums.
This government is able to belie the saying "the best things in life are free”. Enjoying the sea will no longer be considered as one of the best things in life. Even clean air is at a price. And Malta has been run by the same kind of government for a quarter of a century.
George Vella
May 12th 2009, 19:13
I am really intrigued by the statement made by the Resources Minister that 6000 tons of algae were collected. The reason I am saying this is because in Gozo, at least DEFINITELY in Marsalforn and Qbajjar Bay, I am personally informed by the person in charge of beach cleaning that they are PROHIBITED from collecting dead algae from the beaches as this is full of sand and it is bulldozed back in the water everytime it is washed ashore, which is very frequently. I have been asking why this is being done for the last few years, and we always end up with the same answer and the same bulldozer, yes, BULLDOZER, pushing everything back in the water. This also happens during the peak season.
Peter Aquilina
May 12th 2009, 19:11
This very afternoon it was noticed that iron railings along Qawra promenade ( near Ta' Fra Ben ) were removed and ( most probably temporarily) replaced by galvanized pipes .
While one supports and compliments the logical idea of fabricating the wrought iron work in frames, it is a wonder why these frames, right after fabrication, were not galvanized before they were installed !!!!
Now......... is it going to be a total and complete replacement of the 3 kilometre stretch ( approx.) from the Suncrest Hotel to Xemxija Hill ?!! Or is it going to be even costlier by sandblasting , re-painting each and every frame and re-installation ?!!
Well.........most probably .........another Job for The Boys !!! and ......to the detriment of John The Citizen !!!
J.Azzopardi
May 12th 2009, 18:18
Dr de Marco said, "But more needed to be done. There had to be toilets, showers and better facilities, for example. The agency would be able to take care of all this as well as other factors, such as beach concessions."
To all those here applauding this suggestion.
The Maltese and Gozitan people ask why does it have to be an agency to take care of "all" this ? Exactly my thought Mr L.Galea.
The more worrying part comes in the statement "as well as other factors, such as beach concessions."
Why should beach concessions exist in the first place ???
Peter Bonnici
May 12th 2009, 18:18
@ L Galea. How about some positive input for a change?
J. Borg
May 12th 2009, 18:18
Minister Pullicino is boasting that 6,000 tonnes of algae were collected.....
I more than happy with a beach full of natural algae which nurishes & protects the beach rather than the sea itself being polluted with the chemicals and concentration of feed and wastes generated from fish farms.
The same old sickening political gimmicks.....and keeping up appearances when the more critical issues are swept under the carpet.
Dr. Gonzi.....don't you think we have surpassed all decency now!
Joseph Caruana
May 12th 2009, 18:02
Great thinking!
Thumbs up.
v.pulis
May 12th 2009, 17:20
Do the authorities have sand sifting machines? and if not wouldn't it be cash well spent if some money was invested in a couple?
We are surrounded by countries with huge, clean beaches and it is difficult to compete at the best of times. Think what it would be like if our beaches looked like the Normandy beach landings on D day.
Galea. L
May 12th 2009, 17:05
Another agency for the chosen few to be paid exorbitant salaries from by our taxes to issue more regulations and fines to fill the government's empty coffer.
Alexander Azzopardi
May 12th 2009, 16:54
@ Last !!!!
albert leone ganado
May 12th 2009, 16:49
I fully agree that beaches should be brought under the control of one agency.
Beaches and the foreshore are one of the most critical resources for our sun and sea tourism.
There is a lot which can be improved, including more thorough cleaning, better control of beach operators, better toilet and showering facilities, control of fouling of beaches by pets, barbecue litter louts control and of course better beach safety measures.
We should strive as our objective to attain the high standards and blue flag status that the best beaches in French, Italian and Spanish resorts manage to achieve
James Green
May 12th 2009, 16:48
All well and good!
Now let's make the beaches accessible and fix the roads starting with Armier. We can't all afford off-road and rally vehicles equipped with heavy duty suspension to get there.
PLEASE!
M Debono
May 12th 2009, 16:44
BRAVI !!!! Dare I say about time !!!
P. Xuereb
May 12th 2009, 16:28
One can only applaud such an initiative since, if resourced and managed well, it is likely to improve product Malta, as well as our own quality of life.
C A Camilleri
May 12th 2009, 16:28
Some light at the end of the tunnel. One suggestion, please reduce the beach concessions drastically. They belong to the people and not to the bullies. Why should someone pay for a sandy spot at Ghadira for example. Give it back please.
Patrick Cilia
May 12th 2009, 16:21
We need to consider our own civic responibilites, this policy is not there to add to the Government structures but to help us live a better quality of life....the actual implementation depends, in the main on all of us as end users.....and there needs to be tough penalties for those who prefer to ignore their responsibilties!!!