Malta is ‘safest place on earth’
Low exposure to natural disasters
Malta and Gozo share the coveted top position for safest countries in the world, according to a UN report. The photo by Chris Sant Fournier shows one of the villages in Gozo.
If you want to avoid becoming a victim of a natural disaster or of climate change, you could do no better than to live in Malta or Qatar, according to a new United Nations study which says these two small countries are the safest in the world.
The World Risk Report for 2011, conducted by the UN’s Institute for Environment and Human Security, is based on an index related to the exposure of countries to natural hazards and climate change, as well as social vulnerability.
It rates the island of Vanuatu in the Pacific as the most dangerous place in the world, with very high exposure to natural disasters and high social vulnerability.
If you lived on this island, your risk of falling victim to a natural disaster would be 32 per cent.
At the other end of the 173-country league of risk lie Malta and Qatar. Both have very low exposure to earthquakes, floods or rising sea levels and their societies and infrastructure are well-prepared to tackle such events, according to the report.
In Malta, the risk of becoming a victim of a natural disaster is 0.72 per cent while that of Qatar is just 0.02 per cent.
While Malta is the safest place in Europe, the Netherlands is the most exposed. However, Europe is generally a very safe place as despite being highly vulnerable, particularly to floods, its most vulnerable country is still classified as the 73rd risk-prone country worldwide, as it is highly prepared to cope in such situations.
Jorn Birkmann, scientific head of the project, said extreme natural events do not necessarily cause disasters because risk not only depends on the hazard but is very much determined by social and economic factors.
“This means that an earthquake of the same magnitude can have different effects in two different countries,” he explained.
The report shows that disaster risk has two components: exposure to natural hazards and climate change on the one hand, and social vulnerability on the other.
It clarifies that disasters cannot be attributed to meteorological or geological phenomena only but that they are determined also by social structures and processes within a society, such as level of education, extent of poverty, food situation or functioning of governmental institutions.
“For example, the Netherlands and Hungary are relatively highly exposed to natural hazards and climate change but due to their social, economic and ecological situations, they have a comparatively good ranking in the risk index,” one of the researchers explained.
“Similarly, the earthquakes of Haiti and Japan strongly demonstrate this relationship. While 28,000 people died in the Japan earthquake (9.0 on the moment-magnitude scale), 220,000 people died in Haiti in a much weaker earthquake measuring 7.0 on the moment-magnitude scale.
“This was because although Japan’s earthquake was stronger, the country could cope better. Its buildings and infrastructure was more resistant,” he said.
The study shows that after Vanuatu, the world’s most disaster-prone countries are Tonga, the Philippines, Solomon Islands, Guatemala and Bangladesh.
Popular Stories
Old buses, drivers to return
Former Judge Ray Pace found dead
Updated: Minister apologises for...
Three new Nationalist MPs elected –...
Where’s Everybody staff is given notice
Updated - Director of Prisons submits...
Update 3 - Woman trapped as car crashes...
Revealed...the face of a Maltese woman...
PL reacts as PN labels Franco Debono's...
In Discussion
Old buses, drivers to return
Updated: Minister apologises for...
PL reacts as PN labels Franco Debono's...
Updated - Director of Prisons submits...
Enemalta seeking minimum five year gas...
Protected birds shot and trapped as...
Mario de Marco, Zammit Dimech concede,...
PN postpones salaries as financial...
Updated - PM's offer to Opposition MPs...
93 Comments
Post comment
Please sign in or create your Account to post comments.
Jay Oatmon
Sep 30th 2012, 16:25
This article did not include violent crime as a criteria or available hospital beds for disaster victims - so it does not show the reality of Malta - sliding slowly down the scale of desirable places to live.
Kieron O'connor
Sep 15th 2011, 23:59
I went online and read the report, I was most interested in the section about social vulnerability and a countries governements ability to plan to mitigate the effects of natural disasters.
They deffinetly were not in Malta to write this report when the over sized truck load hit the over head foot bridge and the grid lock/chaos it caused across the island.
The plans that were in place to deal with that "natural disaster" was truely impressive, god help us if a natural disaster did actually occur if the grid lock planning was any indication of how good the "planning" is!
Mr Sean Swain
Sep 16th 2011, 19:09
Are you seriously trying to compare the one day Marsa gridlock to a natural disaster? Do you understand what they mean by natural disaster? I'd love to hear you debate your point to the thousands of people who lost their loved ones and homes in Japan, Haiti, Australia, New Zealand and all the other major natural disaster prone countries. A valid point indeed.
A Caruana
Sep 15th 2011, 21:27
Not for traffic and road rage it isn't - after the Arriva man made disaster which has hit our roads thanks to Transport Malta!!!
Mr Daniel Vella
Sep 15th 2011, 16:27
Considering just natural disasters would give us a high positive rating. But think a bit what would happen if a landing plane crashed into our Dellimara power station.... we would find ourselves back in the stone age.
Mr Stephen Borg
Sep 15th 2011, 12:58
And the most boring place on earth as well. We have nothing except Buildings and Construction zones everywhere you look.
Mr Sean Swain
Sep 15th 2011, 10:24
Oh for the love of God, this article was about natural disasters...must we bring politics into EVERYTHING? Give it a rest will you! I agree Malta is a very safe place to live when it comes to natural disasters, do you know why? Because i live here and have never suffered any volcano eruptions, mud slides, major flooding, blizzards, earthquakes...I mean even if planet earth gets invaded by aliens, science fiction and films pretty much believe that Malta will be in the clear (not being a major military country) .
We do not live in a perfect country, and whilst this country may be imperfect I still think it deserves a little more respect from its whiny, depressing and miserable population who don't have the foggiest clue about the gem that they currently inhabit.
Melvin Tonna
Sep 15th 2011, 13:37
Perfect comment Mr.Sean!
Mr Ben Harper
Sep 15th 2011, 13:51
Very well said Mr. Swain.
Unfortunately all these sad Maltese gem gem never spent time working or living abroad. Therefore, they can never appreciate the positives and benefits Malta has. They just want to lead a miserable life, and if it makes them happy then let them be.
Mr John Micallef
Sep 15th 2011, 17:40
Perfect, to the point and 'fil-laham il-haj'!! Can't agree with you more.
All those not happy in Malta are very welcome to try out various other countries. They may start by going a few hundred miles south, for example...
KEELY CARABOTT
Sep 15th 2011, 08:13
I wonder about exposure to pollution though??
mark borg
Sep 15th 2011, 07:44
This article could not have hit the nail on the head better,except they forgot to complete the sentence,which should read : Malta Safest place on Earth expecially if you are a criminal.
Ms Roxanne Mifsud
Sep 15th 2011, 01:38
The complaints and comments I read here make me wonder if anyone of you ever really knew what the UN does to get these results....
Mr Peter Korsten
Sep 14th 2011, 23:57
"[...] the Netherlands is the most exposed."
Well, about half of it. After spending many, many billions on the Delta Works, after the devastating floods of 1953, the realisation took hold that quite a bit of the land is threatened by rivers. And whilst the sea defences were built against a storm that statistically would hit once every 10,000 years, that didn't take the rising sea level into consideration.
There are pumps working 24 hours a day, pumping all the excess water from areas below sea level. One of these, an old steam powered one, is a Unesco Heritage Site. But in cases of high water, this antique piece is still switched on to get rid of the extra water.
Not that the Dutch really worry about it, though. :)
Ian Cremona
Sep 14th 2011, 20:11
Why is it that when there is good news about Malta it is followed by bad comments and when there is bad news it is followed by more bad comments? I'm convinced that we Maltese live under very good circumstances. There is no place like Malta!
Anyone who has something negative to say about this article should try living elsewhere, it will be better for all us
Victor Pulis
Sep 15th 2011, 08:45
What a sensible argument! So if someone asks whether Malta is prepared for a major earthquake he is being negative. We all remember the incident of the Marsa bridge. A truck dislodged a piece of concrete from a bridge...It did not bring the bridge down mind you. It just hit it. And all Malta came to a standstill with traffic jams and detours all the way to Jamaica! And you feel safe because some foreign entity said so.
Mr Sean Swain
Sep 15th 2011, 10:40
@ Victor Pulis
Ian's argument (if I understood it correctly) wasn't so that we shouldn't be prepared in case of a disaster, his argument was that we NEVER have natural disasters. We are ill prepared in case of natural disasters because although it is always good to be prepared, it is not a high priority in this country. Japan suffers earthquakes on an almost DAILY basis, hence they are prepared, and of course nothing could have prepared them for a massive 9.0 but the point is that if you live in a country that is well prepared it is because they NEED to be.
On another note, if you don't trust the 'foreign entity' then how about conducting a study of your own and sharing your results? I'm quite sure that you are likely to come up with similar results.
Joe Gatt
Sep 15th 2011, 18:05
Mr Sean Swain
Just wait and see things change, when the rain season sets in.
R. Mazzitelli
Sep 14th 2011, 18:41
the problem is this... the percent of a natural disaster in Malta is 0.72 percent...but if we get hit by a high magnitude earthquake, by a tsunami or by torrential rain the percent of surviving becomes 0.72 percent!! Anyway I Thank god all the time for being in this country though..we are lucky for now (no one knows what the future holds)
D.Stallion stewart
Sep 14th 2011, 18:34
Malta the safest place on earth, gee buddy if you believe that you believe everything, they actually ment *Gozo* is the safest place and NOT i repeat NOT Malta, no need to go into details we all know why that is...one safe place (HA Ha) that comes to mind is PaceVille i leave the rest to you believe everything you read to your own discretion.
Mr Aaron Vella
Sep 14th 2011, 23:16
Yes, and what is the probability of a natural disaster hitting Paceville only? This study shows how safe a country is when a natural disaster (if any) takes place, not how much complaints are filed with the police.
Mr G Mangion
Sep 14th 2011, 18:25
@ Wally Vella-Zarb & all Moaners
Your Envy is Killing You, we will never forget @ St lukes hosp in the 70/ 80's under the RED'S ! it was the biggest Kallu of Malta Punto e basta ...
G. Mangion.
Mr Henry Mifsud
Sep 14th 2011, 20:15
I started reading the comments and had to stop here. Am I on the right page?
Malta must be the safest place on earth and for anyone who hasn't realized why, here is the answer:
MALTA IS THE CENTRE OF THE WORLD! or so we would like to think :)
Mr Albert Farrugia
Sep 14th 2011, 17:27
Well, after Moody's downgrading it was to be expected that someone would dig out this absolutely irrelevant piece of statistical mathematics out of some dusty cupboard. Yawn!
Mr Angus Black
Sep 14th 2011, 23:42
Albert, you would probably be more accurate had you added a comment such as "Malta would be paradise of all the moaners and prophets of doom and gloom put a sock in it and stop looking at a half full glass and declare it as half empty.
Inane comments are so boring.
Phil Humphries
Sep 14th 2011, 16:51
It's comforting to know we are (statistically) safe and the infrastructure is well prepared to cope, but I can't help wondering if the people who compiled this report were ever here when it rained in the rush hour ?
And I wonder how they would 'cope' if they were stuck in an endless queue of cars behind a bendy bus on Xemxija Hill when the earthquake strook ?
Hmmm ? What is it they say about statistics ?
Mr Alex Buds
Sep 14th 2011, 16:08
So Malta is 40 times higher risk than Qatar if I'm reading this correctly...
Alfred E. Zahra
Sep 14th 2011, 16:57
Yes and the glass is half empty.
Mr Angus Black
Sep 14th 2011, 14:47
Little things please (or disturb) little minds.
John Mifsud
Sep 14th 2011, 14:46
We may be classified as the 'safest place on earth' as our exposure to natural disasters is low, but we are definitely prone to other hazards, especially those which are man-made - political hazards............ very risky indeed.......beware........
David Xuereb
Sep 14th 2011, 15:38
AGREE
Mrs c. Lazzari Portelli
Sep 14th 2011, 14:40
Happy to hear this report...but am smiling lots...wondering if those who made such report have ever been to malta when it simply rains heavily :) :) :)
I keep smiling and say no more ..but I''d say "Malta do not put your head at rest cause of this reportttt"..lets hope its somehow true but who lives on the Island knows the problems very well and what happens when it simply rains a bit more than usual !!!! Many streets in a few hours rain turn into water canals... lots of panic and can become scary and dangerous too ....so...work on the existing problems I'd say...cause they do existand maybe are also simple to resolve too ....no? :) :) :)
Kenneth Galea
Sep 14th 2011, 14:33
This is NOTHING to do with politics. Just reading these comments down below which most of them are politically motivated make me sick. Every opportunity we have to include politics. This is about natural disasters to which no-one has control over. Tgergir u qried biss, the same old story.
Well July and August are not months which could be responsible for natural disasters in Malta but I cannot bear them due to obvious reasons.
I Bugeja
Sep 14th 2011, 14:31
It may be the safest place on earth but it also has a HUGE GRUMBLING LOT as well. Is it possible that the good is overshadowed by what is bad? The people of foreign countries I have been to are either proud of what they have or are non-chalant about it. Here it seems that whatever we have, people are too negative to be proud about it and if they are passive, would still complain. Its a very irritating national hobby - or perhaps I am too idealistic and am blinded by good news or simply put; I see good news as good news!!!!!
Mario Desira
Sep 14th 2011, 14:13
It is doubtful how scientific this report is. There is a whole litany of things waiting to happen and I am not mentioning th 2012 Coronal Mass Ejection. Neither will I mention we are surrounded by nuclear reactors in nearby Sicily or Libya or how an oil spill from the numerous ships criss crossing the Medittterean would mean life in Malta grinds to a halt. Pandemics and terrorist acts apart.
First of all we are in an earthquake zone. Europe’s future supervolcano, the Etna, is geographically next door. A moderate earthquake would mean Malta in ruins. Local buildings are certainly death traps in such a scenario. The lateral movement of buildings would see most buildings especially over two storeys high collapse. The earthquake that destroyed Mdina in the middle ages saw stone buildings just one storey high collapsing!
A tsunami is also a possibility (especially originating from the area of Greece) so much so that a Meditterean network for tsunami monitoring is in operation. Besides the fact that once sea level rise, certain areas in Malta will end up underwater. These areas have already been identified years ago in local studies.
But Malta does not need to sink underwater to bear the brunt of global warming. It is a fact the Meditterean will be severely effected. Our aquifers are drying up (mostly thanks to human exploitation), number of rainfall days decreasing and desertification is slowly but surly encroaching the islands. Diseases today normal in Africa may become common here.
When the Civil Protection head was once interviewed on television he was candid enough to admit we are not so well prepared for a moderate disaster as we might think. There many things to be done. Doing nothing from a false sense of security is certainly not one of them.
Ramon Casha
Sep 14th 2011, 13:29
Oh? Weren't we supposed to get earthquakes and tsunamis and things once the divorce referendum passed?
John Scerri
Sep 14th 2011, 13:12
In my humble opinion Malta and it's people are a dormant Volcano at this moment.
The population's great majority are fed up of many things which are not functioning as expected ..the cost of living, public transport, hospital waiting lists , roads, direct taxation, fuel prices, gas process , MP's stipend , the environment , smells all over the island, littering, diminishing traffic parking spaces , and the list goes on and on . I am not being pessimistic but realistic.
Opposition is not giving any clue as to what it is going to do to rectify all that it says is going wrong and at the same time it expects to gain the popular vote.
Apart from all this there are those indviduals on this island who think they have inheritied the roads, government departments including educational facilities, and can do whatever they like with no respect for anyone because there is no one...no one ...not even any minister who has the balls or other parts to put a stop to all this arrogance.
LETS SEE HOW SAFE MALTA WILL REMAIN...TIME WILL TELL.
It is not only with natural disasters by which one may become a victim !!
Charles Vella
Sep 14th 2011, 14:20
...waiting for joseph muscat to be Prime Minister for the volcano you mention to errupt!
Joseph Camilleri
Sep 14th 2011, 14:26
When you say arrogance, you are right... the PN are very arrogant, however you cannot say that when or if Joseph would be PM the situation will get better. By logic and common sense, Malta will only get worse for the fact that the Labour mentality still hasen't changed, and with the lack of experience from not only Joseph Muscat but the whole Labour Party, Malta will loose alot if they are elected. Apart from that, they have no idea of what to do when in government, therefore I cannot see how one can vote blindly. Unfortunately mostly Labour vote because it's their favourite party or football club, however I think that the games with the floater don't go that way.
Mark J. Magri
Sep 14th 2011, 12:41
Nowhere is safe in this world except for the Eternity....
GRANPINTO
Lawrence Anastasi
Sep 14th 2011, 12:21
No natural disasters needed.....Arriva a disaster enough!
Phil Humphries
Sep 14th 2011, 16:05
lol - Thank you :)
cettina portelli
Sep 14th 2011, 18:12
thank God we are in a "safe" country....if we had to wait for a bus to take us from a dangerous area to a safer one, then we wouldnt stand a chance! ARRIVA ARE YOU LISTENING?
Mario Camilleri
Sep 14th 2011, 12:17
So that's why NATO, British and French war planes end up here in emergencies, cause this is the safest place on earth!!! WOW!!!
And yet till now nobody (il-poplu) knows what caused the big bang near Dingli Cliffs. Maybe that's why this is the safest place on earth cause you wouldn't know what hit you.
And as regards to tremors and earth quakes let's pray to God so that he would deliver us from such incidents. Having a State of the Art Hospital like Mater Dei, I wonder how it would cope with such a emergencies.
Mr G Mangion
Sep 14th 2011, 11:18
So that is why joseph's Earthqake never took place, lol
G. Mangion.
Mr Charles Falzon
Sep 14th 2011, 12:01
Imnalla ta....ghax kieku kellu jigri xi haga ma nafx x naghmlu basta ghandna STATE OF THE ART HOSPITAL!!!!!! Imma biex tmur tghamel operation trid tkun lucky li ma tilhaqx tmut.
Kevin Formosa
Sep 14th 2011, 11:13
Ma semghux bl-urugan Gonzi PN mela....ghax kieku kienu jnizzluna fir-rankings :)
Mr G Mangion
Sep 14th 2011, 12:17
@ Mr Charles Falzon
Sewwa STATE OF THE ART HOSPITAL Tant hu Hekk li Kullhadd Inqeda Bih u hargu Sodisfatti ghall Grazzja tal - hanin Alla, ghax anke min Maqdru fih mar u inqeda bi Professional way mil - Aqwa...
Nahseb li taf.................!
G. Mangion
Mr Wally Vella-Zarb
Sep 14th 2011, 14:16
@ Mr G Mangion
Trid iddaħħaq sieħbi? Kien hemm ukoll min, għal operazzjoni ĦAFNA izgħar, ipprefera li jmur l'Amerika. Naħseb li taf......!
Simon Cassar
Sep 14th 2011, 14:21
@ Mr Mangion
Int bis serjeta???!!!! Jidher li ghadu qatt ma kellek appuntament li sptar!... Jien x jiswa li jkolli waiting room sabiha bil fan u siggu komdu meta imbaghad inqatta nofs ta nhar nistenna ghalxejn!!
Alfred E. Zahra
Sep 14th 2011, 16:52
@ Simon Cassar. I go to Mater Dei regularly for treatment. I am given an appointment and am seem within 15 minutes. A relative of mine recently had a knee replacement operation and he is very satisfied with the treatment and care he was given. From your comments it is very obvious that u have never been to Mater Dei.
Asta Peterson
Sep 14th 2011, 11:00
Its a safe place but watch out for the ADT and the local tax collectors and the water and the electricity bills they are the highest amongst the eu countries, as the the rest its great place to live in, people are very friendly until they are owned money their bible mostly in Gozo.
Mr R. Grech
Sep 14th 2011, 10:53
Someone help me out here! I seem to remember reading something about an entire mountain-side which risks falling into the sea just outside Gibraltar which would send a massive tidal wave into the Med hitting Malta in a very short amount of time!!! Were all elements taken into consideration in the study? The Med is not immune to natural disasters. Still..., thanks to this study we can all have a good night's sleep --- when the noisy louts outside allow it, that is...
A Cordina
Sep 14th 2011, 10:52
Remember the chaos caused by a trailer that crashed into a foot bridge in Aldo Moro Road last year? Half of Malta stopped….chaos, traffic jams, missed flights, panic, disorientation….anyways are we really prepared in case of a natural disaster? I don’t think so!
Mr B Busuttil
Sep 14th 2011, 10:41
ara jishtuniex!!!!!! :)
Ms Anna Caruana
Sep 14th 2011, 11:10
ahjar naghmlu l-qrun!
Mr Dominic Chircop
Sep 14th 2011, 11:46
There is another reason which no scientific study will ever bring to the fore.
God, in his infinite wisdom, does not punish us with natural disasters. He kows well enough that we have two political movements which are quite capable of causing as much havoc between them !
Peter Shaw
Sep 14th 2011, 10:24
You forget another disaster -- ARRIVA !
Mr Jo Camm
Sep 14th 2011, 10:23
That's a good advert for Malta. We will soon see all the vacant houses or flats filled up with foreign settlers.
Ms D Galea
Sep 14th 2011, 10:20
ARA JBEZZLUNA B DAN IR-RAPPORT!
Andrew schembri
Sep 14th 2011, 10:07
Safest country in the world, until you arrive at Mater Dei
Victor Pulis
Sep 14th 2011, 10:06
Clearly the survey didn't take into account Angelik! But on a more serious note. How are we prepared for an eventual catastrophe? How can we cope with an earthquake for example? Our houses are not built to withstand a strong earthquake and being built of large stone or concrete blocks (unlike Japan) and concentrated, the damage and loss of life would be horrific. We are also on the edge of one of the most active seismic spots on earth the eurasian plain. A tsunami would also flood most of the Northern coast being the lowest part and where most of the population is situated.
Mr Peter Barbara
Sep 14th 2011, 11:03
So what do you propose ? some people are really hard to please....!!
Ms M Sciberras
Sep 14th 2011, 11:04
your first sentence is priceless :)
F A Mercieca
Sep 14th 2011, 09:56
@Mr Demartino
The only snag is that most Maltese give your thoughts a negative twist.Just read the other comments!!!! But still I agree with you :):)
Charles J. Buttigieg
Sep 14th 2011, 10:10
Giovan jesagerahom,mill bqija gie li jaghmel sens. Lili ma jdejjaqni xejn ghax naqtalu it-tara.
Mr Peter Murray
Sep 14th 2011, 09:52
Safe as houses or your money in the bank?
JOE ZAHRA
Sep 14th 2011, 09:43
If we can eliminate the political divide,it be haven on earth but borrrrrrrrrrrrring
Charles J. Buttigieg
Sep 14th 2011, 10:07
Joe,the political divide is a good thing to have. Keeps the government under control. Mela kif kienet il- Libya kullhadd ibaxxi rasu ghall Gaddafi.
Mr Tony Gatt
Sep 14th 2011, 09:06
Does this take into consideration the danger of being overcharged on busfares or water and electricity?
Kevin Attard
Sep 14th 2011, 09:01
"...earthquakes, floods or rising sea levels and their societies and infrastructure are well-prepared to tackle such events"
Are we?
Charles J. Buttigieg
Sep 14th 2011, 08:56
Bongu Giovan. Nahseb li min ghamel dan is survey ma ikkalkulax ir riskju li jitla l-Labour u jibdew it -terrimoti u vjolenza pulitka. Xi tghid? lol
Paul Giordimaina
Sep 14th 2011, 09:43
I agree with you Charles.
Paul Giordimaina
Sep 14th 2011, 09:56
I agree
Mr W Cassar
Sep 14th 2011, 11:20
They didn't calculate the risk of a brainwashed population.
Grow up!
marc pace
Sep 14th 2011, 12:03
lol tajba chalie!!!! they surely dnt calculate tht risk ax jekk jitla il labour mux politikal violence ikun hawn imma gwerra civili
jekk taraw wikileaks lamerica qed tibza mil labour u ir relazzjonijiet li andu ma certu pajjizi barranin
Helen Cassar
Sep 14th 2011, 08:46
Only one danger...........the venom spewing from some Maltese peoples' tongues, enough to exterminate a nation.
Mr Carmelo Micallef
Sep 14th 2011, 11:59
Well said Helen - the other comments (presumably by Maltese largely) listed herein seem to try and outdo each in the bile, ridicule and contempt they pour on our country - how sad we can be.
Mr Carmelo Micallef
Sep 14th 2011, 12:02
PS Helen, prior to any comments being posted to this article I sent links to friends in: USA, Canada, England, Germany, Cyprus, Russia and China ..... ..............
Victor Rodenas
Sep 14th 2011, 08:42
Of course,...disasters in Malta are man made, not natural.
Mr R ferriggi
Sep 14th 2011, 08:40
if i am not mistaken, the last major catastrophe recorded in the recent history of malta is the great earthquake which flattened a good part of south sicily and also apparently greatly affected malta. this was 1693.
all over south sicily , one find the old and the new town or village.
my opinion is that the authorities still take all preautionary measures vis a vis tsunami and earthquake pissibilities and how to best tackle them.
the biggest threat that i see is water contamination around malta in these times. oil, nuclear, chemical, bacteriological.
Richard Malecki
Sep 14th 2011, 08:38
I feel better knowing that we live in such safe and beautiful country :)
Giovann Demartino
Sep 14th 2011, 07:56
I have been saying this for ages. Taking everything in consideration, there is absolutely no place like Malta.
Edward Camilleri
Sep 14th 2011, 08:48
Really now.
henry spiteri
Sep 14th 2011, 08:56
EZATT kif qal SAN PAWL 2000 sana ilu
victor caruana
Sep 14th 2011, 09:01
specjalment meta jkollok par idejn sodi u xejn ma jigri kumbinazzjoni.....
Christian Sciberras
Sep 14th 2011, 09:08
Gosh, you must be right!
Malta's geology must somehow affect criminal minds and terrorists to avoid it!
</sarcasm>
By the way, Libya is a place like no other. As is North Korea.
Pano Aroditis
Sep 14th 2011, 09:13
I commend you on your logical clarity. Are you being literally metaphorical, or metaphorically literal? Come to think of it, when did you have this epiphanic revelation?
Mr Andrew Grech
Sep 14th 2011, 09:28
@ Mr. Demartino:
now that's a nice comment! :^)
Mr B Grech
Sep 14th 2011, 09:33
Except for Qatar ofcourse. Nonetheless the point of the article is that Malta is very safe with respect to natural disasters. Ofcourse all it takes is a moderate earthquake to turn the statistics on their head. What with our location being only a few score miles off from the boundary between the Eurasian and African plates, a major earthquake is not exactly an unlikely scenario.
Mr M Cachia
Sep 14th 2011, 09:41
It never ceases to amaze me how depressive people are - The poor man made a complement about our Country, appreciate it for God's sake!
Mr John Azzopoardi
Sep 14th 2011, 10:41
Mr Demartino, did you ever leave Malta. In the past there were no jobs, so maltese in their thousands and thousands had to leave the shores of these beautiful island and emigrate abroad.........legallly that is. And they discovered another world out there.
Giovann Demartino
Sep 14th 2011, 11:24
@Mr Azzoppardi. Yes I know. In fact labour governments created the Minister for Emigration and used to send a band to accompany the thousands of Maltese who were forced to leave Malta under labour governments. And up to this very day, thousands of Maltese housewives need not go to work to make both ends meet. I have relatives in Australia, in Canada, in the USA and in the UK. Whenever they come for a holiday they all agree that there is no place like Malta. Why they don't come back? For the very simple reason that they have their families there and wouldn't dream of leaving their granchn behind.
Please choose the reason of your report below: