Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1236033
16.04.2020 2 NEWS MATTHEW VELLA THE environment ministry has announced what it is billing as the largest ever in- vestment in the waste man- agement sector that it said will take Malta to a new lev- el in overall environmental performance and recycling targets. e investment includes a much-needed waste-to-en- ergy plant that will signifi- cantly limit landfilling vol- umes, a new plant for the management of dry recycla- bles, a plant to treat organic waste to extract energy and produce compost for use in agriculture, as well as the re- placement of the clinical and abattoir waste incinerator. "Malta will finally be in a position to stop its predom- inant reliance on landfill- ing and to aggressively turn waste into precious resourc- es, be it energy, fertile agri- cultural resources, or upcy- cled products," environment minister Aaron Farrugia said. e required land for the infrastructure of this pro- ject was drastically reduced, having taken into consider- ation the valid pleas from local farming communi- ties. In fact, the project will now have a footprint of 82,000sq.m as opposed to the original proposal of 279,000sq.m. e original plan to turn 150,000sq.m of land in an extended landfill has been shelved. Instead, Wasteserv is aim- ing to have the waste-to-en- ergy plant in place ahead of what was originally planned and current landfill sites within the existing footprint will be used to their full po- tential. e facilities will be situ- ated at Maghtab in a bid to centralise Wasteserv's oper- ations, increasing efficiency and minimising any adverse environmental impacts of said operations. Areas previously used by Wasteserv, including Wied Fulija in Zurrieq, Qor- tin in Gozo and St.Antnin in Marsascala, which add up to 170,000sq.m will be giv- en back to the people in the form of green areas. Wasteserv CEO Richard Bilocca said it was now Was- teserv's job to match the environmental ambition of Malta's society and imple- ment the ambitious project in the shortest possible time- frames and at the highest possible standards. "e project is a crucial link in the comprehensive work being undertaken by theministry, which includes a host of actions both of an infrastructural, political and educational nature that will bring about the required leap It will complement Gov- ernment's long-term waste strategy which will be final- ised by the end of this year and plan for a shift in men- tality towards reducing, re- using, and recycling," Aaron Farrugia said. Six new cases of COVID-19, including three migrants at Hal Far open centre MALTA has so far registered 399 cases of coronavirus, with six new cases recorded over- night. is is the fourth consecutive day of single-digit growth but Public Health Superintendent Charmaine Gauci reiterated her appeal for people to remain in- doors and obey social distanc- ing because community spread is still a reality. "We have to be sure that the numbers are giving us the true picture... we are still climbing the curve and the strategy re- mains to contain the spread, monitor and test," she said, add- ing this was not yet the time to relax any of the restrictive measures in place. e health authorities have been testing profusely with the number of swabs since the pandemic appeared in Malta last month now hitting 20,139. ree of the new cases were residents at the Hal Far open centre, which remains under quarantine. e men, aged 18, 19 and 26, tested positive after a series of random swabs were done. e open centre houses more than 1,000 people and the health authorities are working together with a Red Cross team that is on site. Another case involved a 38-year-old female hotel worker in Gozo. Gauci said the woman worked as a clerk alongside one other person in the office. A risk assessment is being carried out and disinfection taking place. Another case involved a 60-year-old male clerk who works at a government entity and a 21-year-old male student. In each case contact tracing is being carried out. Gauci confirmed that one of the cases in previous days was a Freeport worker but a risk assessment found no need to place other co-workers in quar- antine. No relapse yet Asked whether people who recovered from the virus have contracted the infection again, Gauci said none of the 44 recov- ered so far have relapsed. ese people have been instructed to inform the health authorities immediately if they develop any symptoms. Gauci reiterated that swabbing could not be used as a screen- ing mechanism because it only gives a momentary picture. "Swabbing is carried out to im- mediately identify people who are sick but it is no replacement to social distancing and good personal hygiene," she insisted. Pregnant women and their partners Asked whether it made sense that partners of pregnant wom- en were only being allowed to attend the last stage of birth, Gauci insisted the hospital took measures to reduce the number of people inside the facility. She said having fewer people in hospital reduced the risk of introducing the virus in the fa- cility. Pregnant women have com- plained that it made little sense to allow their partners at the last stage of pregnancy and not dur- ing the whole of labour, arguing that the risk of introducing the virus was still there. Public Health Superintendent Charmaine Gauci Environment ministry announces 'largest ever' investment in waste management Minister Aaron Farrugia THE Malta Gaming Authority and the Financial Intelligence Analysis Unit (FIAU) have consolidated their long standing relationship by means of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), specifically aimed at improv- ing the sharing of information and co-operation between the two en- tities, on the areas of supervision of anti-money laundering and combat- ing the financing of terrorism. MGA CEO Heathcliff Farrugia said he was delighted to sign such an im- portant MOU with the FIAU. "Our relationship with the FIAU has gone from strength to strength, particularly since the introduction of EU's 4th Anti-Money Launder- ing Directive. Due to the nature of our roles, we are in regular contact, also conducting joint supervision on MGA-licensed entities," he said. Kenneth Farrugia, Director of the FIAU, said that the MGA was a stra- tegic partner of the FIAU in ensuring that the highest levels of AML/CFT compliance are applied across the gaming sector. e provisions of the MOU allow both parties to discuss avenues of further co-operation in the area of AML/CFT, including in relation to training of respective employees, training of persons and entities li- censed by the MGA, and assessing the competency on AML/CFT of in- dividuals holding key positions with licensed entities. MGA and FIAU sign memorandum of understanding