Agency for beaches being considered
Resources Ministry replacing all beach ladders, bins
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.