The high waves noted at Ghadira Bay on Wednesday, a phenomenon known as the ‘milghuba’ or ’seiche’, demonstrated that the removal of the existing road as proposed by the Transport Ministry without conducting proper studies, could pose a serious threat to the Ghadira valley and those parts of the Nature Reserve below the sea level, BirdLife stated today.

The head of the Physical Oceanography Unit, Dr Aldo Drago, has stated that on Wednesday the sea rushed up the beach at Ghadira, almost as far as the existing road and that the sea level rose by over half a metre. According to the Oceanography Unit; “Due to the shape and configuration of Mellieha Bay, these seiches are known to be quite intense in this area.” adding that “Such strong sea level oscillations are very much like tsunami waves in behaviour, but their origin is completely unrelated to seismic activity,”

The Transport Ministry wants to build a new road cutting through the EU protected area in Ghadira based on the argument that the existing road is causing erosion of the Ghadira beach and should therefore be removed. However, to date the Ministry has failed to prove this point through any scientific studies.

“As last Wednesday’s phenomenon showed, the removal of the existing road which is probably acting as a coastal defense for the Ghadira valley could have disastrous consequences as the sea may inundate the agricultural land and the Nature Reserve.” said Tolga Temuge, BirdLife Malta Executive Director.

“BirdLife Malta supports any project that would benefit the ecosystems and tourism in Ghadira as long as these projects are based on scientific studies. However contrary to Dr. Gatt’s claims, the main source of the redistribution of sand could well be the quays built in front of the Sea Bank hotel over ten years ago, as the waves now change direction when they hit the cement barrier of the hundred meter long quay.” Temuge added.

BirdLife Malta reiterated its position that the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) will not address the question whether the existing road need to be removed due to the alleged erosion. Since the Transport Ministry could not provide any evidence to this date, scientific studies focusing on the coastal geomorphology of the area during the Appropriate Assessment stage need to be carried out to see whether the existing road is the main reason behind any erosion at the Ghadira beach. Only then MEPA can decide whether an EIA is necessary to look at the impact of the proposed project or whether the project should be dropped.

“Some of the largest and most notorious man-made disasters have been the result of rushed decisions that ignored the proper planning and scientific studies. We hope that the Ministry will eventually acknowledge this fact and commit itself to a scientific study.” Temuge concluded.

Photos:

1) Giant Orchid: The garrigue area south of Ghadira valley where Ministry wants to build a new road is one of the three sites where the very rare Giant Orchid occurs. (photo by Raymond Galea)

2) Ghadira Nature Reserve; The removal of the existing road may inundate the Nature Reserve which is home to many species like Little Egrets. (photo by Victor Falzon)