Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1137604
OPINION 26 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 23 JUNE 2019 WHEN I bought my mai- sonette in Swieqi years ago, the surroundings were very different. There weren't many properties in the vicinity, it was very quiet and it was a small community. Even until 15 years ago it was mostly Maltese families who filled in the few empty spots of the locality. Today the story is different. Now there are more build- ings and new landmarks, and AirBnB ventures and language schools, which also account for the rising demand for apartments. Many communities can re- late to this building explosion. We now have less space than before. Some people have lost a view. Local populations have swollen. We've come to accept this. Perhaps we can say that, over the decades, things should have been done differently. We could've used space more efficiently. We could have de- signed better. Planning never really took beauty and flair into it. But we've come to ac- cept this. However, there are times when we don't accept this, when we say the 'every- thing goes' mentality cannot be tolerated. This week was one of those times. For the umpteenth time, families lost their homes and had their lives thrown into disarray because of a neighbouring construction project. The human tragedy was stark. Construction projects are not experiments where you find out what is happen- ing when it's done and over with. Proper construction, engineering and science, are well-oiled processes used throughout the world. When a situation indicates the need, precautions are taken. Eve- rything is taken into context. So I cannot understand how these construction tragedies keep on happening time and again. The intensity of construc- tion in Malta is down to population growth. However, irrespective of this, we need to make sure that people don't have their lives ruined for months, or even years, because of a project. This is especially so when there are measures which can be imple- mented to alleviate the prob- lems that a project invariably creates. I think the steps taken by the Prime Minister send a clear signal that this is not on. Malta is an understand- ing country, where, I think, people genuinely acknowledge the need for property con- struction, but it is not, and should not be, the Wild West. You can't just ruin people's lives. It is not just a matter of destroying neighbouring property, but also about noise pollution and air quality. There are measures that can be taken to ameliorate nui- sance, but I suspect that they don't feature in the budgets of a project often because they are seen as pointless and ex- travagant. This is what must change. Those 'pointless' things, which actually protect the rights and wellbeing of residents, need to become law. Not guidelines. Not recommendations. But clear, well-defined legal obligations that, if not followed, result in serious proceedings. I do not believe such require- ments would put a dent into the finances of construction businesses. In fact, I believe well-meaning construction companies should lobby for them, simply because they need the country to support their sector. Serious people in con- struction, people who think long-term, must surely want to have public backing, rather than be seen as villains. Serious people in construction, people who think long-term must surely want to have public backing, rather than be seen as villains You can't just ruin people's lives Evarist Bartolo Evarist Bartolo is Minister for Education and Employment