Black dust saga an 'embarrassment' for Malta, says PL

Reacting to Enemalta’s statement expressing scepticism over the findings of the report commissioned by MEPA, Labour’s spokesman for the environment Leo Brincat said Enemalta’s reaction was worrying.

“It worries me because Enemalta’s reaction is typical of a government which has lost its bearings, and of a government that tries to wash its hands every time bad news emerges,” Brincat said.

Black dust issue aside, Brincat said, when an operator and a regulator are involved in an issue, it is the regulator who should ultimately shoulder responsibility. “It is useless that now Enemalta and MEPA engage is some sort of war of words. Such statements only ridicule policy documents especially when it is clear that government entities, operators and regulators fail to coordinate amongst themselves.”

Brincat said that the MEPA report is clear on the fact that the source of the black dust is the Marsa power station – “something which several experts have already confirmed.”

Brincat said Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi should shoulder responsibility as he was elected on the battle cry that he would be taking environment issues in his own hands.

He added that the MEPA report is a source of shame for government, which only confirms that when words come to facts, government repeatedly fails in protecting the environment and the resident’s health.

In its statement, Enemalta defended its position saying that the report does not carry an analysis of the composition of the samples and comparison with the flyash produced by the power station. Asked to comment about this, Brincat said he was not in a position to tell a highly-qualified person how to do his job.

Asked whether residents whose health has been negatively affected by the black dust should ask for compensation, Brincat said it is up to the individuals themselves to decide. “The PL will not tell the residents what to do as our aim is not to gain political mileage out of this,” he said, adding that their aim is to safeguard the citizens’ health.

During the press conference, Brincat questioned the timing of the report and said government should explain why it was only published now, when the MEPA report was concluded in March.

Brincat questioned whether the publication of the report was tied with either the consultation process of the Delimara power station or with the visit of Environment Commissioner Janez Potočnik.

“How can one reconcile this report with the Prime Minister’s declaration made last October, when in Parliament he stated that the black dust problem in the south of Malta did not exist any more?

“And how could Lawrence Gonzi make such a statement when he should have known that MEPA was conducting a study?”

Brincat also referred to a thesis carried out by a University student studying chemistry nine years ago in which she categorically concluded that the source of the black dust was in fact the Marsa power station. “How seriously had government taken this study and did he act upon it?” Brincat said.

He also questioned why government never took action over the so called ‘Stacey Report’ - commissioned by then Minister Francis Zammit Dimech in 1999 – which concluded that the Marsa power station was the source of the black dust in Fgura.

Brincat also criticised government for having more than once attributed the black dust to traffic, ships, bakeries, industries or the incinerator at the slaughterhouse.

Referring to the Black Dust Committee which met only once since it was set up, Brincat said the committee was never aware of the MEPA report being conducted and questioned why it was never presented to the committee, despite it being concluded six months ago.