Soldiers do their bit to clean up the country
Video: Paul Spiteri Lucas
A group of 74 soldiers from the 3rd Regiment and the Maritime Squadron together with 17 beach cleaners from the cleansing department this morning headed off to Imgiebah Bay in Selmun to clean it up.
They are targeting to gather more then 1,500 bags of material.
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46 Comments
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A.f Ellul
Aug 5th 2012, 05:51
the soldiers do a good job,but in my opinion,it is better to use the prisoner doing this job not nothing to do.Use the solders to take care of the prisoners while cleaning the bay.
B. Jones
Aug 4th 2012, 23:16
A target of 1,500 bags of garbage - cause this is what it is at the end of the day - is very SAD, considering that everybody should be environmentally conscious by now.
francis x caruana
Aug 4th 2012, 22:26
well done. Was at his beach 3 days ago and it was in a pity state. thanks to all
David Hill
Aug 4th 2012, 19:34
So it's not right for Malta's soldiers to help clean up an area in their own time, but it is OK fo American Sailors to do work in the comumity when their ships come into Malta.
Grow up people. be proud of them
Philip Mizzi
Aug 4th 2012, 19:15
Although it is still commendable of what these soldiers are doing, I had the impression that this was voluntary work which would have made a great difference.
Since voluntary work is being mentioned, I suggest to the authorities to introduce a system in our prisons so that prisoners will be organised in voluntary work to do similar work. They can easily clean our beaches and enjoy some fresh air. The soldiers can keep an eye on and guard such an activity.
They (the prisoners) can also be thought to build 'hitan tas-sejjieh' along our roads and by-passes, which makes our country so unique and beauitiful but require lots of manpower.
Since prisoners cannot be forced to do work (unfortunately), such prisoner volunteers can be made to benefit from having their prison sentence lowered or have some other 'extra benefits' as an incentive.
Letting them waste away in prison will only encourage vice and more drugs in the prison. Keeping them occupied in voluntary work can also instil in prisoners a sense of satisfaction by doing something useful. Prison sentences can also include voluntary work which must be done by the prisoners. Such court sentences can include an added time in jail for those that refuse to work.
B. Storace
Aug 4th 2012, 17:55
Well done lads but really this is a task which should be carried out by those (unfortunates) who are handed suspended sentences by our learned magistrates at court and turned loose to have another go. This would be called 'COMMUNITY WORK' and it keeps law breakers occupied for the good of the many at no major expense to the State. It will be the punishment to fit the crime. Why don't we try it............It works very well in other countries.
john vernon
Aug 4th 2012, 21:26
Well said sir or madamn , too many getting of scot free
Victor Falzon
Aug 4th 2012, 17:25
I was confused when I read that soldiers filled 1500 garbage bags from L-iMġiebaħ, as I was there last week and found nothing bar the odd plastic bottle washed ashore. But the footage made it clear: the "material" was the neptune grass! How stupid is that.
They will be pulling up the posidonia meadows from the seabed next.
M Sciberras
Aug 4th 2012, 19:20
Could not agree more!!!!
Ivan Calleja
Aug 5th 2012, 00:13
Exactly my thoughts!!! Its a shame that the posidonia is still considered as 'rubbish' in 2012!! tal-biki!!
pat muscat
Aug 4th 2012, 17:22
Those who camp, and do barb q's at Imgiebah leave all their mess there! A disgrace!
Joseph Sammut
Aug 4th 2012, 15:58
from Sunday Times of 29th July's column by Dr. Alan Deidun: . . ."These accumulations, known as banquettes, may seem unsightly to many but they actually play very useful roles in beach ecosystems, including that of conserving the sand beneath them."
With that stated as a premise, one goes to add that although beach-cleaning, like several other duties and tasks THEY ALREADY perform, is not hard-core military work. Similarly, neither is (at the moment) providing for instance, security at the London Olympic venues. Soldiers get tasked to prop up and bolster when and where civilian infrastructures fail or are simply non-existent.
Without the old version of Public Works Department (PWD) press-ganged unemployed individuals doing the dirty work, and with nobody locally taking the initiative of doing sponsored clean-ups, such local use of AFM personnel seems to be the last pitch towards achieving an aim of sorts.
The Maltese military have certainly show they are train, organised, ready, able and willing to tackle any challenge the central government throws at them, even overseas at times. And without blowing too much their humble trumpet too.
So, less talk by keyword warriors here, and more elbow grease action out there, please. Our soldiers deserve that much respect!
S. Camilleri
Aug 4th 2012, 14:56
Commendable but why should our men in uniform have to clean up the mess created by others.
Franco Farrugia
Aug 4th 2012, 16:10
Because it suits us to have 'dirty jobs' carried out by others, that's why! Read the comments of those who are 'praising' this work - they do it comfortably enough. But that is NOT the soldiers' job!
Michel Ellul
Aug 4th 2012, 14:12
Well done.
To whoever is commenting that this is not the soldiers job, I see it as these soldiers are indirectly giving a very strong message here. Yes you are all right, it is not their duty but they did it the same showing that they care for their country environment no matter what and everybody should applaud their good deed and follow suit.
Franco Farrugia
Aug 4th 2012, 16:09
No, I do not applaud this effort - the soldiers' duty lies elsewhere AND THEY HAVE ENOUGH, MORE THAN ENOUGH, on their plate, already. They should indulge in further education and training, further and continued formation. Tidying up should be in the hands of those whose job it is to do so, and to so, civilians, who, practically, are the ones who dirty up the place. If soldiers want to give a 'very strong message', I can give lots of different 'messages' that they should give.
And this is not a question of moaning. It is a question of telling it as it is!
R. Cilia
Aug 4th 2012, 18:34
Michel Ellul, did it ever cross your mind that perhaps they were ordered to do it?
Ivan Calleja
Aug 5th 2012, 00:21
Franco, apart from agreeing with your argument, the fact that they practically only removed the posidonia that accumulated during the past months there is much much worst than cleaning up and using their time!! This work should have been supervised by a conservation biologist or similar and probably should have never taken place because of the very important role posidonia has when it is deposited on our beach....first and foremost to protect the little sand there is from getting eroded!!! We never learn in this country!!! Im very surprised the environmental NGOs didn't say anything about this very ecological 'clean up'.
C. Sammut
Aug 4th 2012, 13:33
Well done.. this job should be done before the summer season every year. As well as improve the tricky access to this beach.
Ivan Calleja
Aug 5th 2012, 00:28
your comment shows how clever you are when in comes to conservation of the environment!! Tricky access??? Come on.....lets leave a corner of these islands in the hands of nature and natural processes....we want to convert every corner of our coastal areas by building stairs, boathouses, roads, paths, kiosks, doing BBQ's, discarding rubbish and the list goes on!!! Just so that we humans can 'use' the area in our full comfort!!!
Steve M. Engerer
Aug 4th 2012, 13:20
Well done guys!!
Glenn Borg
Aug 4th 2012, 13:20
Prosit hafna! Din il-bajja kellha bzonn titnaddaf wahda sew min habba l-ammont kbir ta' alka li ingabar fiha. Hekk issa tista terga titgawda.
Moaners, sibu hobby gdid, ma tifqux teqirdu! Inkredibli!
Ron Cassar
Aug 4th 2012, 13:05
commendable
Well done guys
Marthese Mussett
Aug 4th 2012, 12:57
Dan xoghol is suldati?!
Lucienne Dimech
Aug 4th 2012, 13:37
What do you expect them to do fight a war? At least they do something useful our soldiers have the title that's all
K Grech
Aug 4th 2012, 14:10
Min qallek li qed jidhalsu ax qed jaghmlu ekk, ahjar isodd naqa jew taqbad u taghmel bhalhom...
Philip Mizzi
Aug 4th 2012, 15:05
Le ma huwiex xoghol is-suldat, imma is-suldat qied jaghmlu b'sens ta voluntarjat biex isebbah pajjizna. Ha mmaqdra dan ukoll?? Veru Maltese gemgem!
Franco Farrugia
Aug 4th 2012, 16:06
@ Ms Mussett: Ghandek ragun. Dan mhux xoghol is-suldati.
@ K Grech: Ghandek bzonn lil xi hadd, jghallmek ftit manjieri tajba, etikett.
@ Philip Mizzi: Mhux dik il-kwistjoni. Ghax ma tmurx inti, taghmel ftit voluntarjat?
R. Cilia
Aug 4th 2012, 18:31
K.Grech and Ph.Mizzi, the article doesn't say that the cleaning is being done on voluntary basis so how did you come to that conclusion/
Philip Mizzi
Aug 4th 2012, 18:43
@ Franco Farrugia. Maltese gemgem iehor inti milli jidher.
Well done AFM boys ...do not let the gemgem part of our society play down such commendable acts. Ara kieku gew l-americani minn fuq xi aircraft carrier u zebghu xi bandli (ikun haqqhom prost ukoll), dawn ifahhruwhom.
Pityful mentaliti. Meta ser jitghallem dan il-poplu aljenat?
S.M. Cuschieri
Aug 4th 2012, 19:26
@ Lucienne Dimech
For your information If they have to fight a war they will and they are capable to do it too. The AFM has personnel that risk their lives every day for people who may need there services, just like you may. You may sing a different tune, if someday. god forbid, should you or your family face difficulties. Oh, and pls inform yourself about the AFM before rattling your gob off!!! That is called voluntary work and casting an example....Why don't you try it out???? Or are you scared that you may break your nails and ruffle your hair?? LOLOL!!
@ Marthese Mussett
Sometimes it is really nice for a soldier to break away from their usual stress their job carries and participate in campaigns like this. It is called setting an example!!! Soldiers even offer their services at times, to Id-dar tal-providenza....Tell me!! What harm is there in that???
anthony sultana
Aug 4th 2012, 12:41
The prisoners should do such a job, not the military.
David Hill
Aug 4th 2012, 12:41
What you sometimes get in the UK is a sponsered beach clean.
A club or charity will ask it's members to get sponsership for each bag of rubbiush they pick up.
A good way to clean a beach or area and also to raise funds.
Franco Farrugia
Aug 4th 2012, 12:36
With all due respect to the authorities, soldiers are not there to clean up places - there are others whose job it is to clean up the place. Soldiers' duties lie elsewhere, but certainly not to clean up the country!
Tony Sciberras
Aug 4th 2012, 12:24
Well done.
Mr Mark-Anthony Falzon
Aug 4th 2012, 11:47
Removing Posidonia is not 'cleaning' - it's actually ecological vandalism.
D Borg
Aug 4th 2012, 12:04
Unfortunately you are perfectly right Mr Falzon...
joe briffa
Aug 4th 2012, 13:15
It can be used as fertilizer for fields......
R. Cilia
Aug 4th 2012, 13:27
Mr.Falzon, can you please be kind enough to enlighten us why 'it's actually ecological vandalism.'?
If the beach cleaning was not done on voluntary bases, then I find it ridiculous. There are beach cleaners to do the job.
Mr Mark-Anthony Falzon
Aug 4th 2012, 15:53
Posidonia banquettes are an important habitat for a number of species. They're very much part of Mediterranean beach ecosystems. In any case they don't detract from the experience of going to the beach, all that's needed is for one to just walk over them.
Look it up in a good book, don't take my word for it. Of course if you have no time for beach ecosystems ... but in that case why not go to a lido?
Joe Galea
Aug 4th 2012, 11:42
Prosit lis-suldati. PERO mhux sew li l-beachcleaners u l-Public Cleansing Section tal-GVERN l-anaqas biss jersqu ghax-xoghol. Imbaghad kull fejn thares mizbla u ahna nhallsu t-Taxxi biex dawn jisirqu lil Pajjiz.
Franco Farrugia
Aug 4th 2012, 12:37
Ezatt. U jien ma nghidx 'prosit' lis-suldati. Dak mhux xoghlhom!
Vincent Grech
Aug 4th 2012, 11:40
Prosit very well done
C Cassar
Aug 4th 2012, 11:33
Why don't Maltese citizens volunteer to do this? In fact why would Maltese citizens dump 1500 bags of rubbish in these areas?
D. A . Agius
Aug 4th 2012, 12:47
This was not rubbish but mainly Posidonia mixed up with some flotsam. Should have been beach cleaner's job but they were probably busy elsewhere...
Mr Andrew Azzopardi
Aug 4th 2012, 11:30
good job to all involved!
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