Before... and after
Nearly seven tons of rubbish were removed from prime beauty spot Wied iż-Żurrieq in recent days – and the Cleansing Directorate will bill Qrendi council for the job.
Following an article that appeared in The Times last Saturday about rubbish dumped in the valley, the directorate cleaned up the mess earlier this week.
However, confusion remained over which entity should be responsible for regularly cleaning the area. Director Carmel Zammit had personally led a team to Wied iż-Żurrieq after being contacted by The Times last Friday, but when he arrived he deemed the littered area to be the responsibility of the local council.
After it was reported last Saturday that Qrendi’s mayor was unaware of the rubbish problem, and the council failed to respond for two days, Mr Zammit said he decided to act.
His team removed 6.9 tons of rubbish last Monday and Tuesday from the rocky valley near boathouses, homes and workshops.
Some of the decaying household and workshop waste was close to the staircase that leads to the bathing area.
Wied iż-Żurrieq is popular with tourists taking boat trips to the Blue Grotto, as well as Maltese who use the area for swimming.
The Cleansing Directorate is obliged to clean public beaches and is paid about €900 per month by the Qrendi council to sweep and empty bins daily along the road leading to Wied iż-Żurrieq and the car park, as well as the roads where shops are located, Mr Zammit confirmed.
“I reiterate that the illegalities occurred outside the responsibility zones of the Cleansing Directorate,” Mr Zammit said, adding the Qrendi council would be billed for the job.
However, Qrendi mayor Carmel Falzon saw things differently when contacted, saying the council was pleased the directorate had collected rubbish from the area “at last”.
He said the boathouses near to where the rubbish was dumped were located in “totally private areas... particularly in two side streets which legally speaking are not even open to the public”.
The Times, however, could not find any signs or fences restricting access to the littered area.
Mr Falzon complained that despite the touristic importance of the area, which also includes Ħaġar Qim and Imnajdra Temples, Qrendi council is not allocated any extra funds by the Department of Local Government to maintain it.
Popular Stories
Update 3: Marsa murder - Police looking...
Update 2: Three arrests after flamingo...
Former Judge Ray Pace found dead
Where’s Everybody staff is given notice
Revealed...the face of a Maltese woman...
Update 4 - Eddie Fenech Adami stable...
Update 3 - Woman trapped as car crashes...
Updated - Two bodies, capsized boat,...
Franco Mercieca doing routine eye ops at...
In Discussion
Update 2: Three arrests after flamingo...
Enemalta seeking minimum five year gas...
Mario de Marco, Zammit Dimech concede,...
Chinese company to study Malta-Gozo...
Updated - PM reacts to Labour anger on...
Franco Mercieca doing routine eye ops at...
No appeals board for first part of power...
Updated - PM comments as Franco Mercieca...
BBC site highlights illegal hunting in Malta
10 Comments
Post comment
Please sign in or create your Account to post comments.
Francis Sammut
Oct 8th 2012, 19:32
And let's be clear about it. This place, in this case Wied iz-Zurrieq, is not the only place on these islands where it needs a thorough clean up. If we take a good look around surely one can see rubbish thrown with abundance! The countryside is a case in point, where tourists many a time bring to our (and the authorities) attention in the papers. What hurts me is the example above where it seems no one wants to take responsibility.
Jay Oatmon
Oct 8th 2012, 17:33
As usual in Malta when something needs to be done that costs money - no one accepts responsibility and no one is held accountable.
This sort of thing should be addressed in writing clearly stating who is responsible and for what, and all concerned parties should then sign the agreement - after that it is clear who is to do what.
Is there an anonymous hotline to call for illegal rubbish dumping/clearance?
Is there an anonymous hotline for missing children?
Is there an anonymous hotline to report corruption?
I don't think so unless they are secret - so as not to disturb!
Olive Borg
Oct 8th 2012, 15:54
I am glad to hear the cleansing director took some action... the same should be done to the Zebbug council. Across from my flats on siggiewi road (near Qirda bus stop) there is a field full of illegal scrap and i see rats, cats and dogs running around through the filth. It is much larger than the area shown in this article and it is embarrassing when people come over and see scraped cars and fridges etc. And the area is scheduled as valued agricultural land by MEPA and touches on the precious valley. I know the local council and MEPA have known about this field for years and never took action...I just hope someone takes action like they did here. Good work cleansing director - please continue such actions!!
John Cassar
Oct 8th 2012, 15:52
This seems to be the standard excuse used by the majority of the local councils. Public Gardens within the community are no man's land as far as the local councils are concerned. A case in point is the public garden at Ta' Paris in B'Kara. When I reported the neglect of this garden , the B'Kara Council secretary told me that the responsibility with the upkeep of this community gaqrden is with ELC. ELC seem to be only interested to carry out gardening work in public place which catch the eye of the persons that matter , politicians , etc. Ta' Paris garden does not seem to be within their eye catching remit and responsibility. The trees badly need pruning , the soil apart from being as hard as rock , is full of litter.
Action pleasse , whoever is responsible B'Kara Local Council and/or ELC.
Hope that my cries do not fall on deaf ears.
J Farrugia
Oct 8th 2012, 14:34
Qrendi needs to show this mayor the door, he is useless, i am fed up of reporting rubbish being dumped in the same locations over and over again yet nothing is done, Qrendi is one of the most beautiful areas on our island yet it is totally neglected by everyone in authority, pull your fingers out and get the job done and stop being childish.
John Attard
Oct 8th 2012, 14:11
Qrendi Local COuncil should stop the bickering.......if they do not want to take care of Wied iz Zurrieq i am sure the Zurrieq Local Council will do so.......what a pity all the time this bickering of whether its my responsability or not......get on with it...im sure that had he called some volonteers from Qrendi and a few trucks the issued would not have got here...but again there are mayors and there are others! Pity......
E Schembri
Oct 8th 2012, 10:51
Well done! ....but when are we going to enforce illegal dumping and littering?
We need very harsh penalties so that no one in their right senses will dump or litter public land.
Too many times I have encountered people dumping litter outside their car windows while driving, even an entire McDonalds bag. It is really a disgrace and will only stop with harsh penalties and more police/warden patrol.
Toni Cardona
Oct 8th 2012, 13:26
Last Friday morning, as the 5+5 reps were arriving at Auberge de Castille, the Portuguese rep opened the rear left window and threw a piece of paper on to the road near the traffic island.
Stay assured there were enough uniformed and secret police/military in the area and yet ... he was not penalised. So relax Mr Schembri, not even if the whole police/warden/military force were to come out on to the streets, nothing will change. The reason is very simple, Lack of Discipline.
GL Calleja
Oct 8th 2012, 14:17
"We are Maltese and we do as we please" Most people in Malta do not have any respect what so ever for the environment. You see people dumping their home garbage in public places all the time. Throwing things out of car windows while driving is a must. How many times have you seen drivers or passengers flicking lit cigarette butts out the car windows? And like you mentioned, dumping fast food wrappers and bags out of a car is not a rare thing to see. We might keep our homes clean but we sure don't give a damn about our public areas. Littering in public places should be met with a stiff fine and the Local Councils could make a fortune.
Charlie DeBattista
Oct 8th 2012, 09:39
Good job... well done! Its a pity that initiatives like this do not take place volontarily and have to await exposure on newspapers.
Please choose the reason of your report below: