WasteServ's decision to reply to my recent media release on the Marsa incinerator leaves much to be desired.

Their curt statement (April 5) that the thermal treatment facility (incinerator) had been scheduled for maintenance and that it is currently down to effect a comprehensive maintenance programme (March 17) hardly addresses at all the questions I raised.

I did not question the fact that maintenance had to be carried out on the plant but whether it was anticipated from the very beginning that it would last so long. If this was the case why did WasteServ fail to mention for how long the plant was scheduled to remain down.

My main concern - from both the environmental and health aspects - was what volume of organic and clinical waste has been and will be due to await processing since the incinerator has been down.

I also enquired about the volume of unprocessed waste government facilities can hold for storage as well as whether any emergency measures were contemplated for the accumulated clinical waste.

No dates were mentioned as to when the plant commissioning stage will be completed.

On its part the government failed to put minds at rest whether the incineration plant has in recent weeks been operating in strict conformity with the standard procedures that were found lacking when an EU Commission team visiting Malta had laid down their complaints and reservations about the operation of the plant in their Final Report Of A Mission Carried Out In Malta From 03 March To 07 March 2008 In Order To Evaluate The Implementation Of Health Rules On Animal By-Products (Abp).

With all this in mind I can very well understand why the ministry and/or WasteServ took more than the promised 24 hours to issue a rather bland and unenlightening reply.