Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/994982
9 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 17 JUNE 2018 JAMES DEBONO THE chairman of the Environ- ment and Resource Authority has not yet committed himself on how he will vote at the plan- ning board hearing for the DB Group's Hard Rock Hotel, de- spite the ERA's non-objection to the project. The ERA's report on the hotel and apartment complex devel- opment on the former site of the Institute of Tourism Stud- ies at St George's Bay fell short of an objection. But ERA chairman Victor Axiak said he will only cast his vote in the PA board after "all the information related to this case has been heard by the board." The ERA report confirms that the 37-storey tower will have a "high adverse residual impact" on the entire cultural landscape of St George's Bay but the ERA did not say 'no' to the massive development. So if these impacts cannot be addressed, why is the ERA not objecting to the development as it has done on other develop- ments – MaltaToday asked. A spokesperson replied that visu- al impacts cannot be effectively mitigated "given the size and height of the development", but being inside a development zone and given the neighbour- hood's characteristics, "this consideration was not an up- front reason to object against the proposal". The ERA report warned that although damage to the un- derlying cave system of Harq Hamiem is unlikely, this was a risk of very high significance as this "would lead to the destruc- tion of a feature (the cave) of unique cultural, scientific, and environmental importance to the Maltese Islands". But ERA's concerns regarding the proposed excavation and rock-cutting in the vicinity of Harq Hamiem were addressed through the submission of technical recommendations by the project's geotechnical en- gineer. "These recommenda- tions were also accompanied by a declaration of commitment from the applicant to ensure the implementation of these safeguards." Despite tacit approval of the development, ERA's repre- sentative on the board, Victor Axiak, may still vote against the project. The ERA says its reports are meant to provide valuable in- formation for all PA board members, but the information provided during the PA board's final hearing has "also to be tak- en into consideration by these members". In view of this, a decision on how Axiak will "cast the vote is taken once all the information has been heard". MaltaToday is informed that legally Axiak is not bound to vote according to ERA's recom- mendations. As it stands, the law does not even foresee his replacement by another ERA representative if he is sick. But the ERA's non-objection could weaken any prospective appeal by the Authority against the ap- proval of the project. When asked directly on how he intends to vote, Axiak re- ferred MaltaToday's questions to ERA CEO Louise Spiteri and Environment Protection Direc- tor, Michelle Piccinino. The ERA's approval of the project is conditional on strict monitoring of works on the Harq Hammiem cave and the development of an un- derlying road network tunnel to avert congestion on exist- ing junctions resulting from 7,000 new daily car trips, and minimise the impact on air quality. But the construction of the new Pembroke tunnel also raised concerns over its impact on the Special Area of Conservation under which it will pass. Other negative impacts highlighted in the report in- clude the generation of a staggering 350,000 tonnes of excavation waste. Only 50,000 tonnes can be recycled ac- cording to studies. NEWS JAM ES DEBONO FARMERS outside the Mel- lieha and Mgarr area are in- creasingly frustrated at not having access to 'new water' provided by the Water Ser- vices Corporation as an al- ternative to groundwater. The number of farmers making use of the new water – which is made of treated sewage that is used to irri- gate crops – has increased from 170 in April to 269. A total of 250,000m3 of water has been distributed in the past year. Until now, the WSC is dis- tributing new water from the Cumnija plant in Mellieha, which supplies the Mellieha and Mgarr areas. Accord- ing to the latest statistics, the consumption is split between Mgarr at 44% and Mellieha at 56%. Malcolm Borg, the head of the Centre for Agriculture at the Malta College of Arts, Science and Tehcnology, said new water was a lifeline to farmers. "Farmers' bore- hole water quality has been declining and this 'new wa- ter' is a lifesaver," Borg said, describing feedback from farmers as very positive. "The quality of this water is exceptional and farmers who do not have the network of this water close to their fields are very annoyed that this water is not being made available to them." Borehole water is extracted from underground aquifers that store water that is fil- tered of its impurities after seeping in through the rocks from the sea. But when 'over- extracted', the underground storage chambers can give way to increased salinity and nitrates inside the water. New water is the result of investment made in the Cumnija sewage treatment plant through which water can be reused in agriculture instead of being dumped in the sea. The use of treated sewage reduces the depend- ency of farmers on ground- water reserves, which tend to be extracted without pay- ment. MaltaToday was also con- tacted by farmers who la- mented the lack of availabili- ty of this water in agricultural areas like St Paul's Bay. The WSC is currently working on major infra- structural projects to be able to expand the supply of new water. "Farmers are delighted with the quality of the product and this is not only resulting in improved security in terms of supply, but also in improved product yield," a WSC spokesperson told MaltaToday. Soaring demand for new water by farmers ERA chair not bound by non-objection to ITS project ERA non- committal on chairman's vote after non- objection to PA over ITS project Artist's impression of the DB Group's Hard Rock Hotel