Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1516790
9 NEWS maltatoday | SUNDAY • 3 MARCH 2024 Musumeci, features nowhere in the report; the spirit in which these laws were written are crucial to un- derstand why deaths in construction increased since then. Nobody was questioned about the failure of the contractors' registry first launched in 2019, and the conflict of interest that led to it – and to so many construction deaths. What is most worrying is that there is very little in terms of protection for residents and workers; the biggest victims of this sector. There's a note on the poor reporting system employed by the BCA, but nothing about the role of the police and the judiciary, in a system where, despite the amount and violence of the tragedies, no major developer has ever been arrested. To date, the people responsible for Miriam Pace's death are winning government works tenders; con- struction victims fight a lonely battle for justice. Despite the voluminous report, I feel the inquiry suffered from selective myopia, and had no intention of rocking the boat too much: a few sacrificial lambs will do, nobody will shoulder political responsibility. The flow of money into the construction sector, and how it corrodes the authorities, remains a dark ele- phant in the room. Claire Bonello, lawyer: 'Soundbites, photo ops and pathetic greenwash' The conclusions of the inquiry confirm what we felt - that in this country there is no right to life, no right to safety, no right to health and wellbeing. All these rights have been cast away as the government and the various authorities it sets up bow down before the only right, they recognise - the right to develop. The State is complicit in diluting rules and regu- lations and refusing to enforce laws in a meaningful manner with the result that Jean Paul Sofia has died. This deliberately laissez-faire attitude and fragment- ed regulatory environment is replicated in other sec- tors - such as that related to development planning and the environment. The crisis which we see in the construction sector is the same one which we are facing on the Environ- mental front. Last year a young boy died under the rubble in a construction incident because of a bad- ly regulated industry, in the coming years there will be more deaths and health issues resulting from the state's disastrous lack of regulation of the environ- ment. The government's claim that it is working towards sustainable development is a sham. Even while the greenwashing claims are being made, government is changing planning policies to allow higher and denser development. This is grossly irresponsible in a country where we have development on steroids, traffic congestion and deteriorating air quality. However, there is no evidence of any political will to address these issues in a genuine manner - all we get are soundbites, photo ops and pathetic greenwash. Peter Gatt, president Chamber of Geologists: 'Those responsible should now resign' The Jean Paul Sofia Public Inquiry has highlighted the indispensable role of the geologist in the con- struction industry and has recommended that every rock excavation should be preceded by a report written by a geologist to assess ground conditions. This recommendation implies that the state must now recognise the profession of the geologist so that only warranted geologists will be allowed to make such geological reports and fill in the description of ground conditions of the Method Statement, which presently is done by other professionals who may not understand or misinterpret the site geology, as re- vealed in several cases. Two months ago, [I asked] for a meeting with the Jonathan Attard to discuss this unacceptable situa- tion, but the minister has not yet issued an invitation. The Chamber remains willing to offer its profession- al advice to the government and public entities, but the response has been one of indifference, despite the geologist's important role in matters of public safety. The Public Inquiry Report also revealed that the ge- ological map of Malta produced by the Continental Shelf Department within the Ministry of Finance, is inaccurate. The law requires that the geological map is consulted ahead of rock excavation. The Chamber of Geologists has identified serious omissions and tampering of this map especially since its 2022 'update'. Instead of making the necessary corrections, the Director General at the Continental Shelf Department continues to challenge the profes- sional advice given by the Chamber of Geologists and refuses to make the necessary corrections, effective- ly undermining public safety, which can cost lives. Part of the tampered geological map includes the ar- ea around the site of the tragic collapse of Miriam Pace's former home in 2020. Although responsible for making Malta's geologi- cal map, the public inquiry report confirms that the Continental Shelf Department does not employ any geologists. The same Department was also respon- sible for the absolute failure of Malta's oil and gas exploration over the years. Several of the Chamber's members had approached the Director General to of- fer their help in the national interest, but they were ignored. The Chamber agrees with the Prime Minister that those responsible should now resign and believes that the position of the Director General at the Con- tinental Shelf Department is no longer tenable. The Chamber urges the government to set up a national Geological Service as found in every other European country. The Geological Service would employ geol- ogists to update Malta's geological map, advise the public on geological hazards, and assess Malta's nat- ural resources on land and in its vast exclusive eco- nomic zone, for the benefit of all Maltese. inquiry, what comes next? Claire Bonello Peter Gatt