Every inch of Malta’s streets and countryside, as well as one nautical mile of seabed, has been intricately mapped for a three-dimensional survey that will be made available to the public for free.
The mapping forms part of a €4.9 million EU funded project – one of the biggest ever handled by the planning authority – and will be online towards the end of June, authority chairman Austin Walker said yesterday.
The project is aimed at upgrading Malta’s environmental monitoring infrastructure and will focus on five themes: air, water, radiation, soil and noise.
Project expert Saviour Formosa said that when the Malta Environment and Planning Authority started working on it, there was a large amount of data that had been collected and that was available but which had not been put together under one entity. The information gaps had to be identified and an entire strategy for the country drawn up.
The project includes a survey of the soil in 40 sites across the Maltese islands, examining its state, degradation and movements.
A study of radioactive isotopes in coastal waters, soils and marine sediments will soon be completed and three radiation monitoring stations will shortly start being used.
Through this project, the authority was able to assess Malta’s current status in the measurement of ionizing radiation and implement the latest recommendations outlined by the International Atomic Energy Agency, including those issued after the Fukushima explosion. Over the next few weeks, the authority will receive equipment to ensure Malta is in line with the EU’s Environmental Noise Directive.
Also being looked into is the development of a long-term monitoring strategy for the marine environment and a social and economic analysis of the use of marine waters.
Mr Walker pointed out that once the project was up and running, “Government entities and institutions can start to sustain long term, effective and cost efficient environment monitoring programmes”. This meant that Malta would be fully compliant with EU directives and “excel beyond compliance”.
The authority also inaugurated a new laboratory at the Environment Planning Directorate’s offices at Hexagon House, Marsa, that will be used to filter and analyse particulate matter and improve the data quality and data, among others. Environment Minister Mario de Marco said that information was vital before taking any decision.
“It will give us a wealth of information that will be used by the regulator but also the public and organisations.”
Not only would the project help Malta fall in line with EU directives, but it would strengthen the environmental health of EU citizens, Dr de Marco said.