Allegations concerning the dumping of the hazardous chemical mercaptan took a further twist yesterday when Labour energy spokesman Joe Mizzi claimed that “significant quantities” of the chemical had initially been disposed of at Bengħajsa.
Enemalta then contracted a private company to dispose of the remaining mercaptan, eventually burning it on the limits of Rabat “with the approval of the relevant authorities”, Mr Mizzi alleged.
Claims concerning Enemalta-supervised dumping of mercaptan first surfaced in L-orizzont two weeks ago. According to the allegations, in September 2009 Enemalta oversaw the illegal disposal of 450 gallons of mercaptan, a chemical added to LPG gas in order to give it its distinct odour.
Yesterday, Mr Mizzi further clarified the allegations. According to documents in the PL’s possession, he said, Enemalta had first decided to store the mercaptan in Qajjenza before moving its store to Corradino following complaints of leakages and bad smells.
When Enemalta realised that the mercaptan containers at Corradino were leaking, the company decided to secretly dispose of a “substantial amount” of its 450 gallons of mercaptan at Bengħajsa, Mr Mizzi said. When asked to elaborate on this disposal, Mr Mizzi declined to comment, although he indicated that the documents in his possession contained further, hitherto unreleased details.
According to Mr Mizzi, Enemalta then consulted with both the Malta Environment and Planning Authority and WasteServ in an attempt to see how they could dispose of the 80-odd gallons of mercaptan that remained.
Following the consultations, and on WasteServ’s recommendation, Enemalta contracted a private company to dispose of the remaining chemicals. The barrels of mercaptan were then taken to a fireworks factory on the outskirts of Rabat and Mġarr and stored there.
The decision to burn the remaining mercaptan in September 2009 was taken when the fireworks factory was required for fireworks storage, Mr Mizzi said.
Asked why Enemalta had chosen this particular fireworks factory, Mr Mizzi suggested there was a “very definite connection” between the fireworks factory and an Enemalta official involved in the decision to store the mercaptan there. He declined to name the private company involved in the alleged storage and burning.
Although harmless in small quantities, at higher doses mercaptan has serious repercussions on health, ranging from asthma to convulsions and even lung paralysis. A mercaptan leak at Enemalta’s gas depot in Qajjenza in 2007 had temporarily caused panic and led to the evacuation of workers and nearby residents.
In September 2009, around the time of the alleged mercaptan burning, large swathes of Malta and Gozo were temporarily cloaked in a putrid smell described by various citizens as “gas-like”, “oniony” and resembling the stench of rotten cabbages. At the time, Enemalta officials claimed that technicians had visited the area where mercaptan was disposed of and ascertained there was “no leakage”.
Last week, Finance Minister Tonio Fenech announced an inquiry into the allegations but in his weekly broadcast last Sunday, Opposition Leader Joseph Muscat called for the Minister himself to be investigated for his possible role in the alleged dumping.
At the time, Enemalta was part of Infrastructure Minister Austin Gatt’s portfolio. Responsibility for Enemalta subsequently shifted to the Ministry of Finance following a Cabinet re-shuffle in February 2010.
Calling the alleged dumping “irresponsible, secretive and illegal”, Mr Mizzi reiterated Mr Muscat’s calls for the inquiry to be independent of the Finance ministry. Any such investigation, Mr Mizzi said, should be announced by the Prime Minister.
If a genuinely independent inquiry was established, he said, the PL would hand over the relevant documents in its possession to the board of inquiry.
Labour Environment spokesman Leo Brincat accused Dr Fenech of “deceiving Parliament and hiding the truth”, when last February he told Parliament that Enemalta’s consignment of mercaptan had been “used up”.
Mr Brincat had harsh words for Enemalta, which he accused of acting illegally, and for the planning authority which, he said, operated on a system of “tacit consent” when it dealt with the government.
Although it was the private company which had burnt the mercaptan, it did so “with Enemalta’s blessing” and under its supervision, Mr Brincat said.
Questions to the offices of Ministers Tonio Fenech and Austin Gatt remained unanswered.