Almost €500,000 invested in improving beach accessibility

Almost €500,000 were invested this year to improve accessibility for swimmers and divers at Qawra Point, in Buġibba and Fond Għadir, in Sliema as part of the Malta Tourism Authority’s commitment to improve beach management.

Over the past few years, the MTA undertook the management of a number of the more popular sandy beaches with the aim of improving the potential of Malta’s tourism product. This year, it expanded this service to rocky beaches; namely Fond Għadir and Qawra Point.

Connie Scicluna is a member of the team responsible for Mellieħa Bay, more popularly referred to as Għadira. The specific management of the beach runs for the summer months, extending from June 1 to September 30.

Ms Scicluna says her official day started at 10 a.m. but she always turns up at least an hour earlier. Her duties include inspecting the status of the beach and coordinating with the cleansing department within the Ministry of Resources and Rural Affairs. This department cleans the beach three times a day on average. She reports “excellent” cooperation between her team of supervisors and the beach cleaners.

However, beach management extends beyond hygiene matters. Indeed, as Ms Scicluna explains, a larger part of the day is dedicated to educating beach users about the code of behaviour drafted by the MTA and, when needed, enforcing it as unobtrusively as possible. This code applies, with some practical variations, to all of beaches managed by the MTA. Its objective is to ensure a safer and better environment for beach users. Elements of the code are backed by law.

The role of the beach supervisors is, primarily, to raise more awareness among beach users about the code of conduct and to ensure the beach and the facilities are in good condition at all times.

A major criterion for a beach to obtain Blue Flag status or the Beach of Quality Certificate is safety. Blue Flag accreditation is only awarded for one season at a time. The assessment is based on the beach’s performance in the previous year and provided the relevant criteria covering water quality, environmental education and information, environmental management, and safety and other services are fulfilled.

Even if awarded the Eco Label, the Blue Flag may be withdrawn at any time if the quality of the beach declines.

Għadira is certified as a beach of quality and “excellent” safety measures are in place. The beach has six lifeguards on regular duty, one of whom is always on patrol. Accidents dealt with vary from jellyfish stings to sprains while playing on the beach and from fainting to any number of other reasons. The lifeguards and beach supervisors communicate via radio and report to each other incidents where intervention is needed, thus the bay is monitored more easily.

The day is spent monitoring a number of aspects, be it behaviour to ensure no topless bathing or other indecent behaviour takes place, or swimming outside the safety zones.

The water quality is tested once a week by inspectors and the results posted on a public notice board. The sea conditions are also monitored regularly to ensure that the correct flag is raised for the beach users to be aware of any jelly fish, for example, or rough seas and strong currents.

In addition, the MTA has purchased a number of sand wheelchairs, which can be found at Għadira, Golden Bay and St George’s Bay, and it is the supervisors who inform beach users of their existence, monitor the distribution and use.

Ms Scicluna vividly recalls the day she offered use of the wheelchair to a young Spanish woman, who was being carried to the beach. The visitor was so emotional at such a thoughtful gesture and the unusual fact that such facilities were available, she started crying.

This year, the MTA launched a campaign to educate smokers not to discard cigarette butts in the sand. This is done to better preserve the cleanliness, fauna and environmental health of beaches and surrounding areas. As part of the campaign, beach supervisors are distributing free disposable and reusable ashtrays to beach users.

The MTA also supports Gaia Foundation by offering financial assistance for lifeguard services at Għajn Tuffieħa and Ramla Bay and only the other day three tourists were rescued by lifeguards.

Ms Scicluna explains that correct beach management entails extensive cooperation with a number of people, in particular the MTA’s various departments, the cleansing directorate within MRRA, Malta Transport, the Land Department, the Malta Environment and Planning Authority, private operators and the media to raise awareness in this respect.

In her opinion, the system of beach management has greatly improved Għadira, the beach users are better educated and the aesthetics have improved but, as always, more can be done by all concerned to improve even further.