Dioxin levels drop after Maghtab dump closure
The closure of the Maghtab rubbish dump has led to a drop in the concentration of dioxins in air in the vicinity by around 99 per cent, Resources Minister George Pullicino said this evening.
Following the closure of the Maghtab dump in 2004, a programme to control fugitive emissions of landfill gas and combustion gases started to be implemented with the assistance of EU Structural Funds.
The programme was designed following an investigation of the site and related emissions.
The intervention involved the installation about 400 gas extraction wells, 12 gas monitoring wells, around 55 kilometres of gas collection pipe-work, gas manifolds and a gas treatment plant.
This system is treating the emissions from the former dump to eliminate the noxious substances.
The treatment of emissions from the former dump is coupled with monitoring of the air quality in the vicinity of the dump to gauge the effectiveness of the system.
The minister said that following the successful implementation of the aerial emissions control works, the Maghtab dump shall be subjected to further rehabilitation.
The project will involve the capping of the disused Magħtab dump in order to improve the environmental controls at the site, in particular the control of aerial emissions and limitation of leachate generation.
The capped Magħtab dump will be restored progressively in combination with the other components of the Magħtab Waste Management Complex, namely the Ta’ Zwejra and Għallis engineered landfills, in order to provide good quality rehabilitation of the site and to visually integrate with the surrounding landscape.
The capping will be covered by a layer of restoration soils which provide a suitable growing medium for restoration plantings, allowing the progressive restoration of the site to a beneficial end-use to the benefit of future generations.
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EDWARD AGIUS
Nov 6th 2010, 13:33
Let me draw the attention to what Daniel Laus has stated. I do not think Mr. Laus is aware of this scientific fact. Where ever there is a concentrate of decomposing domestic waste or pollution by drainage, the levels of the toxic decomposition generates in itself a rich environment for vegetation and other mosses to flourish abundantly!!! This can be seen from the effect of drainage dumped in the past at San Blas. The extreme quantity of vegetaion, moss and algae in the water can give the wrong impression of a healthy environment!!!! DO NOT BE MISLED!!!! There could be signs of this in Maghtab, but this is by far from vegetation which would be, as we know it, good for consumption!!! Nor does this indicate by any means that, MAGHTAB is on the road of recovery, or that this area is a safe environmenta zone!!! DUMPING OF DOMESTIC WASTE is still taking place in MAGHTAB...... and this is strongly eveident by the toxic staunch odours which can be experienced when driving along Maghtab part of the Coast Road!!! DO NOT BE FOOLED BY GOVERNMENT STATEMENTS THAT ALL IS WELL WITH MAGHTAB!!! Facts show otherwise
Daniel Laus
Nov 6th 2010, 10:24
Maghtab may not have flowers blossoming at the moment but I can assure you all that it IS turning green with a vegetational cover. I happen to live on a high altitude position having a view ranging from Maghtab to St.Paul's Bay, and can assure you all over again that Maghtab IS turning green!!! The photograph issued with this article is defiantly NOT a recent photo!!
m.farrugia
Nov 6th 2010, 09:07
Hafna min dawn li kitbu jahsbu li l-affarijiet isiru mill-lum ghal ghada. Kieku l-affarijiet isiru hekk dak kollu li kellu isir kien jaghmlu l-ex-Prim Ministru alfred sant li kien mara dawra bil-helicopter fuq il-Mghatab. Tant li l-affarijiet jiehdu iz-zmien li fit-18 il-xahar li dam fil-Gvern Sant hlief din id-dawa bil-helicopter ma ghamilx. Kollox jiehu iz-zmien tieghu. Mhux ahjar innaqsu l-paroli fil-vojt hbieb
l fenech
Nov 6th 2010, 08:28
Sa fejn naf jien u nista nara, il-mghatab irdoppja u mhux inghalaq.
patrick zammit
Nov 6th 2010, 07:01
"The capping will be covered by a layer of restoration soils"
What happened to the thousands of trees that were planted just before the last election? Whas that only a pre election gimmick? Are we going to cover the dump with more soil or were the trees not planted in soil in the first place?
C Cassar
Nov 6th 2010, 10:37
Lots of new trees have already been planted at the lower level where the reinstatement works have been completed. This is a job that will take many years thanks to the greed and short term thinking of the Maltese people.
If it wasn't for Malta joining the EU, Mahtab would still be fully operational - think about that.
Saviour Briffa
Nov 6th 2010, 06:53
Jien nghix il-Qawra, li naf hu li meta jkun rih isfel lanqas tieqa ma tista tiftah ghax ir-rieha insapportabbli li tigi tal-biza!! U tinhass li b'xi mod hija tossika ghax qiesa bejn rieha ta' zibel u hruq, dan apparti kull meta issuq fit-triq tal-kosta! Jew thalli xi bieb ta' gallarija mbexxaq u tmur torqod bla rieha imbaghad f'nofs ta' lejl ikollok tqum taghlaq x'hin tinduina u wara li tkun xbajt tibla! Mela jekk dan kollu u ila maghluqa mill-2004, ahseb u ara li ghada miftuha??!
Insomma xi hadd li kien imdorri jigdeb kien wieghed li il-Maghtab terga tibda TWARRAD....META?............. FEJN? Ikatr jien bahnan emmintu u mort nivvutalu!!
L-aqwa li naghmlu xi ezercizzju ta' propoganda ghall-fidili!!!
Jesmond Micallef
Nov 5th 2010, 20:08
I continue to urge the Government to move and look forward in this environmental undertaking here at Maghtab. This news item is positively good news. Scientific competence and technical knowhow are producing some very good results for the Maltese environment and these issues are also a good challange to local technologists and related professionals.
I also congratulate the Government for the new Waste Rycling Plant at St' Antnin.
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20101104/local/waste-recycling-plant-to-start-producing-electricity-this-month
On a simple side note here, but I would have considered sea water distillation from these heat intensive sites, too. The gas is for free, its burned at high temperature, so the flue gases are hot enough and there is an enormous source of sea water close by. Just a small humble contribution, thats all.
Any negative trimmings to these otherwise good results should be completely ignored. So, once again well done and keep at it. Nice.
R Spiteri
Nov 5th 2010, 19:52
well done good news...
Ian Micallef
Nov 5th 2010, 19:41
The Maghtab dump 'closure' is only a joke, it is still being used and I have photos of trucks dumping rubble, taken 2 months ago to prove this.
Nick Falzon
Nov 5th 2010, 19:56
I'm genuinely suprised to read Maghtab is supposedly closed. I drive past it every morning and always see plenty of activity, including funny-smelling smoke, coming from the dump. It still stinks to high heaven and it's the sort of smell that gets right up your nose and down your throat. Jaqq.
M. Debono
Nov 5th 2010, 20:18
Rubble does not produce dioxins.
l fenech
Nov 6th 2010, 08:30
Ian your are right. It is now a well known fact what is happening at Mghatab.
w. cauchi
Nov 5th 2010, 18:49
So now we know, the stink we at Swieqi and Madliena have been smelling and breathing for all those years were nothing more than dioxins.
Dioxin is one of the most toxic and cancerous chemical compounds that there is.
Proset ehh to both PN and PL for poisoning us slowly for all those years.
C Cassar
Nov 6th 2010, 07:52
You were poisoning yourselves since the toxic rubbish was produced my the Maltese population. While many other countries had implemented recycling and advanced treatment plants years and years ago, the Maltese mentality (and that applies to almost everyone on the islands) was to continue to throw rubbish everywhere - into the sea, into the countryside, into the streets. It's still engrained into the Maltese today, they really don't care whatsoever about the environment.
Mahtab was closed and cleaned only due to the EU which provided most of the funds. I really wish the EU would send some kind of zero tolerence environmental police to Malta to teach the locals a big lesson (through their pockets) on how to treat the local environment. It's the only way the Maltese will learn anything - by using a big stick.
Charles J. Buttigieg
Nov 5th 2010, 18:49
I promise you that this site can provide the best orange grove if attended to professionally. After eliminating the dioxins the site would have all the good soil goodness to produce juicy oranges,tangerines,grapefruit and lemon.
Muscat Pat
Nov 5th 2010, 18:30
Maghtab dump closure is a joke! Touching Maghtab dump there is the new Maghtab 2nd dump! I smell it evertime I pass there and see the trucks dump rubbish there. Not that I want to blame the PN for this, because we all contribute to this state of affairs, but please platitudes about the closure of Maghtab dump is a joke and a lie! Let us all recycle our rubbish, (though I have a doubt on certain recycling ex washing with water all the tin and plastic things) and let us all see that this little Malta is kept clean like our homes.
E Gatt
Nov 5th 2010, 19:30
@ Muscat Pat
You always "blame the PN" for everything under the sun.
Gianni Xuereb
Nov 6th 2010, 08:53
@E Gatt: I blame PN for the pre-election gimmicks, not for the Maghtab landfill. Let me remind you of some gimmicks:
IL-MAGHTAB IWARRAD.
Innaqsu t-taxxa biex insahhu l-ekonomija.
What happened to the thousands of trees that were planted just before the last election ? Was this just money spent down the drain ???
I appreciate the incentives being taken now by the government to close Maghtab, but pre-election gimmicks just make me puke. I just feel like I'm being treated like a fool.
C Dalli
Nov 5th 2010, 18:24
Prosit, keep it up!
C Galea
Nov 5th 2010, 18:21
It's been closed since 2004, that makes 6 years. What I can't understand is why this ugly white mountain keeps growing higher and higher notwithstanding it being 'closed'?
Please choose the reason of your report below: