Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1523374
6 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 30 JUNE 2024 NEWS AWARD OF HONOURS AND DECORATIONS Malta pays public tribute to Maltese citizens who have distinguished themselves in different walks of life and whose contribution and achievement enrich the general well-being of their fellow countrymen. Any Maltese citizen, a group of persons or a voluntary organisation which is duly enrolled with the Commissioner in terms of the Voluntary Organisation Act may be nominated for the award of an honour on Republic Day. Nominations for 2024 will be received by the Nominations Committee on the prescribed Nomination Form, addressed to the Chairperson, Nominations Committee, Office of the Prime Minister, Auberge de Castille, Valletta VLT 1061, by not later than Sunday, 11th August 2024. Nomination forms may be collected from the Office of the Prime Minister, Auberge de Castille, Valletta or downloaded from the website of the Office of the Prime Minister www.opm.gov.mt. For further information, one may contact the Cabinet Office on 22001481. The persons nominated should neither be approached for details, nor informed about their nomination. GOVERNMENT OF MALTA CABINET OFFICE OFFICE OF THE PRIME MINISTER No fines for polluters despite frequent contamination in St George's, Balluta bays NO fines have been issued to any third parties responsible for constant contamination in Paceville's St George's Bay and Balluta Bay in Sliema. The two bays are often subject to warnings from the Environ- mental Health Directorate, with the most recent being last May. The health authorities warned of the presence of E.Coli and I.Enterococci in water samples taken from the respective bays. These bacteria are indicators of fecal contamination in wa- ter bodies and can lead to many infections and diseases in hu- mans. The bacteria can also be harmful for marine life, as they risk disrupting local ecosys- tems. Last month, the Water Ser- vices Corporation (WSC) clar- ified that the contamination in St George's Bay was not caused by failure of the sewage network but was the result of "blockages due to third-party activities and improper waste disposal by said third parties into water culverts which shouldn't be used for such use." MaltaToday asked the envi- ronment watchdog, the Envi- ronment and Resources Au- thority (ERA), how many fines were issued to the third parties mentioned by the WSC. The au- thority said that it did not issue any fines, noting that, "bathing water quality is regulated by the Environmental Health Directo- rate (EHD) not ERA." ERA also said that it was "con- tributing to investigations being led by the respective entities." Despite this, a spokesperson from the Health Ministry under which the EHD falls, also made no mention of fines issued to third party polluters. The spokesperson explained that with regards to St George's Bay, the EHD's investigations show that a private property was found to have defective lower house drains. "After i t was fixed, the bathing water quality improved considerably, and the warning was lifted." "The case for Saint George's Bay in St Julians was solved and closed," the spokesperson said. The situation is different in Sliema's Balluta Bay however, as at the time of writing, the bay is still closed for swimmers as it has been since 21 May. The spokesperson told this newspa- per that the source of the pol- lution is still unknown, as EHD and WSC investigations are still ongoing. "The cleaning of the rainwater tunnel which leads to the sandy beach of Balluta is being carried out to determine the point from where the overflow is occur- ring," the spokesperson said. They explained that the EHD elevates weekly samples from 87 bathing sites during the of- ficial bathing season to monitor the situation, while stating that, "contaminations cannot be pre- dicted." 'Residents can't swim in their own locality anymore' MaltaToday also spoke to PN district MP Albert Buttigieg, who had been vocal about the issue. Buttigieg was livid that year after year, no mat- ter how many times these bays are closed for swimmers, no respon- sibility is shouldered by polluters. Speaking specifically on Sliema's Balluta Bay, Buttigieg questioned whether the pro- longed closure was intentional, as he noted that this could be an attempt to declare the bay as a no swimming zone, opening the door for commercial activities in the water. "I don't want to sound like a conspiracy theorist, but similar things have happened," the MP said. Buttigieg expressed the frus- tration of Sliema and St Julian's residents specifically. "They're bombarded 24/7 with constant construction and traf- fic, and at night they must listen to loud music from different venues. Now they can't even swim in their own locality any- more," he said. MATTHEW FARRUGIA mfarrugia@mediatoday.com.mt Ballua Bay and (inset) PN district MP Albert Buttigieg St George's Bay