Fgura residents find carpet of black dust in valley

The plot thickens after Fgura residents stumbled upon a carpet of black dust in Wied Blandun, which they hope could shed some light on the source of the pollution problem in the locality, moving from an environment to a political issue.

Antonella Agius and Christian Brincat intend to forward a dust sample for further examination to the Fgura local council, which recently resolved to collect black dust and hand it over to the planning authority for testing to find the origin and a solution to the locality’s problem.

The two were walking their dog in the valley by the Cospicua bastions one afternoon when they came across a “strange discovery” – a vast area in Wied Blandun, about 400 square metres, covered in black dust rather than the soil and grass as in the rest of the valley. In some parts, its thickness was about five centimetres, they calculated.

They said it appeared to be composed of “metal particles” and maintained that its colour and texture were similar to the black dust that fell onto roofs and in the yards of residents’ homes in the south.

“We are not experts and we do not wish to jump to any conclusions. We just thought it was strange and would like to raise awareness of its presence so that it can be looked into,” said Ms Agius, who had ventured down to that part of the valley for the first time.

“We think the dust may have been pushed down the valley by rainwater, accumulating at the bottom. But it stops abruptly, even though it could have continued flowing down, so it is also possible it was deposited on the site to hide its source,” they maintained.

The black dust issue has been a source of mystery and frustration since 1999. The Fgura local council and residents have been complaining of excessive volumes but its source has never been identified.

Fgura mayor Byron Camilleri moved a motion to collect samples because he felt the council should take the initiative to help the Malta Environment and Planning Authority tackle the serious problem.

Earlier this month, the government also presented a motion in Parliament, proposing the setting up of a select committee to investigate the matter.

According to preliminary results of studies carried out last summer, it appears that traffic is the main contributor to the problem in the Fgura area.

Mepa has also established that samples of dust collected this year differ markedly from the fly ash of the Marsa power station, which many believed was the source of the material strewn over the area.

The environment watchdog is now expecting a proposal from leading chemistry experts at the University of Malta to carry out further studies. It said the situation in Fgura was complex and only a long-term monitoring programme would help establish the factors that influences the deposit of dust at different times.