The church square has always had a special role in the social life of our towns and villages. Just look at our church squares at festa time to realise how proud people are of our town centres.

Unfortunately, there is increasing evidence that this civic pride is being replaced by the selfish attitudes of a few people who do not seem to care much if our village squares are turned into rubbish dumps, as long as they are allowed to dispose of their unwanted refuse wherever is most convenient for them. Baħar iċ-Ċagħaq provides a sad case study of how a village centre can be ruined by the misguided policies of town planners, unfortunate errors of judgement by local councils, and the crass irresponsibility of a few people.

Thirty years ago Baħar iċ-Ċagħaq was a sleepy village that came to life between June and September when a few hundred families flocked to this seaside resort for their summer holidays. Since then, the town has grown exponentially and is today a year-round residential area for young families, retired expatriates, and also an area of tourist accommodation.

This village has, however, lost its former simple attraction. Old houses are being replaced by blocks of flats with up to five storeys. There is no obvious regard for aesthetics in the building of new residential blocks. In many ways this village is slowly being turned into another Buġibba. We never seem to learn from our past mistakes.

The main square in front of the parish church looks more like a rubbish dump than a place where people like to meet socially, as they do in other towns and villages.

The decision to place six skips in front of the church may have been well intentioned, but has certainly not helped to embellish the square. Some residents with no sense of pride in their environment can be seen dumping household and industrial rubbish and even dead animals at most times of the day.

The local council’s resources may not be enough to ensure that this abuse is stopped by proper enforcement systems. The result is a nasty environment that is an inconvenience to residents, and an embarrassment to those trying to promote the embellishment of our city centres. No church square in any village should ever be spoiled by unsightly rubbish skips like the ones found in Baħar iċ-Ċagħaq.

The square itself is also badly in need of an upgrading. The open space in front of the church is no more than an uncultivated field used to store boat trailers in winter and occasionally to dump bulky refuse.

Many also find the constant playing of recorded bell chimes from the parish church spires as simply distasteful. The chimes themselves sound fine, except that when one has to hear them every fifteen minutes for most of the day, including at times, when some people are trying to get some sleep after working during the night, simply shows lack of civic respect to others.

The news that a system of green wardens will be introduced soon to ensure that environmental regulations are not flouted by the irresponsible few is indeed welcome. The local councils of our towns and villages should look at green wardens as their allies in the quest to embellish our town and village centres.

It is a fact that local councils have to make do with limited human and financial resources and an effective system of enforcement presents tough challenges. But these councils can make life easier for themselves and the citizens they serve by promoting practices that help to make our village centres more beautiful, and not dumping grounds for household and industrial rubbish as is happening so often.

The government can also do more to upgrade the infrastructure of at least the centres of all our towns and villages. I am not talking of anything fancy here, but simply asphalting an open space in the centre of a village will go a great way to creating a more pleasant environment for residents and tourists.

Our quality of life does not depend only on how much money we earn. It is also influenced by the physical environment in which we live. A small overpopulated island with summer weather that is scorching hot at most times can still be made attractive if the right decisions are taken and followed through with successful implementation.

Towns and villages in Gozo have such attractive village centres. Why can’t we emulate this good example in Malta too?

jcassarwhite@yahoo.com

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