Hondoq – An accident just waiting to happen
- The ‘almost’ completed repair work at Hondoq
- Repairs at Hondoq Bay finalised – Ministry for Gozo
- Please, please expedite repairs to the Hondoq damage
- Exactly what does the term Eco Gozo mean – Readers Letter
- Diving Master Plan for Gozo and Comino
- EU project to boost Gozo dive tourism
- Scuba-diving accident in Xwejni – More Details
- High time the Ministry stopped mucking around
- Nature Trust welcomes IES initiative
- The fastest job ever done in Gozo – Readers Letter
- Repairs on Vodafone’s submarine cable impact Melita internet customers
- WSC working to stem drainage overflow in Mgarr
- Former Patrol Boat P31 scuttled off coast of Comino
- A construction nightmare in eco-Gozo – Readers Letter
- The Red Cross Gozo are going to ‘Bridge the Gap’
This photo was taken on Good Friday – these two children were having fun running around in the sun and getting rid of some energy, probably after being confined indoors for hours during a nice family lunch.
However their energy and inquisitiveness could have had dire consequences. One little slip, a gust of wind, a wave, another bit of concrete breaking off…. It is not far to fall, but the rocks are razor sharp and the water icy. The temptation to look too great…..
Hondoq ir-Rummien was severely damaged by storms in the middle of January. Since then the beach has been graded and some of the boulders have been removed and dumped on the parking ground, a couple of notices have also been erected warning people not to venture any closer (not much use as children normally do not or cannot, read signs), the surviving ladders have been painted.
That is the extent of the repairs which have been carried out during the past 12 weeks! Wow….
To be fair, I realize that the dreadful weather must have hampered repair work at times, however, the huge gaping hole can still be approached from all sides – there are no safety barriers whatsoever. If this situation continues into the summer season, which is after all just a few weeks away, the potential danger created by this hole will be immense. I can just imagine ‘brave’ kids daring each other to venture down to explore it, worse still trying to jump or dive down into it. Night-time visitors stumbling in the dark, or even a car driving just too close!
In addition – as far as I could see – the boulders which were washed up against the quay where people dive from, are still there which means that the water is no longer very deep and therefore unsafe for diving.
All in all, this bay is in an extremely dangerous condition. Not only that, it certainly no longer exudes the welcoming charm people have come to expect and love! I feel sorry for those few tourists who will hopefully be able to afford to find their way to Gozo again this year – what a disappointment they are in for!
The repair work cannot be carried out, or paid for, by the Qala Local Council, the damage is simply too extensive. Therefore, the Ministry for Gozo and the Tourism Authority are duty bound to carry out the necessary repairs and embellishments to this bay without delay.
The government keeps on complaining about poor tourism figures, pays millions to consultancy companies to tell them what they are doing wrong and yet doesn’t seem to be prepared to do anything to improve existing facilities. Shame, how sad, how sad for those whose livelihood depends on tourism!
Lesley G. Kreupl
Gharb
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Lesley, first of all, I would like to thank you for your ongoing dedication to save the gozitan environment.
I am sure that alot of people like me appreciate the work you are doing by bringing to public knowledge the environmental problems that gozo is facing.
I visit Hondoq often and yes I agree with you it is a very dangerous place at the moment. I constantly pray that no one is injured or killed.
Alot of articles have been written on different newspapers urging the Gozo ministry to repair the damage and remove the danger but things are moving too slowly.
I hope the delays are not done so less people visit Hondoq this summer!!
As you say Lesley it is up to the Ministry for Gozo and the Tourism Authority to get this matter sorted out, but as I have said in the past neither of these authorities seem to have much of a clue what they are doing.
You would think that someone at the Tourism Authority would realise the impact of this on the tourist industry. You would think they would realise that because Hondoq is so popular with tourists, Maltese and Gozitans alike, damage of this degree may be a problem. But no, they seem to be content to sit and wait for the inevitable accident to happen. Then no doubt they will start blaming everyone else.
Swimmer also made a particularly good point here in their last sentence. Could it be that someone in Government is looking at this as a chance to pass Hondoq over to a friendly Marina developer against the wishes of all the local people, thereby killing two birds with one stone?
Thanks to the powers of the Internet everyone in the world with an interest in Malta and Gozo knows about this damage. In the event that God forbid the inevitable accident occurs and a child is seriously injured or killed the blame will be laid fair and square at the door of the Government.
I guess its a shame that Hondoq beach is off our list for this year and of course Gozo altogether. We read from the above article that Hondoq beach is not even near completion and I don’t think it will be ready or safe for our young children to run about freely.
A great shame, please let us know in time so we can make proper arrangements well ahead of our trip unless our pound slides further then our foreign holidays will be cancelled altogether….
Hopefully lovely Hondoq will be back to normal by the year 2010, which maybe wishful thinking at the slow pace its going.
Ref: Hondoq – we visited back in March after the bad weather and storms etc. and were shocked at the state of this bay. Our grandson has jumped off into the sea here, as have many other children and adults in past years. This bay has been in bad repair for some time and we were worried for our grandson’s safety then, now there is no way we would bring him back to Hondoq. It will take a serious accident to make someone sit up and do something about it, as we bet the bay remains a mess for year’s to come. The building of apartments and houses needs to stop and the money spent on the environment instead. The tourists will then come back. It is not only the bad economic state and recesssion that is keeping them away, it is the scruffyness of a once pretty little island.
Lesley Kreupl is to be commended wholeheartedly for her continuos attention to all matters Gozitan.From our rural idyll in deepest West Wales we follow regularly through various websites the goings on with regard to the very popular beach of Hondoq.I find it quite contrary that the damage has not been rectified already.We shall have a look and hope that we like what we see and be able to swim in Hondoq’s clean waters again in July.What odds of success what you gamblers out there give me??
I read with interest the comments above and quite shocked to hear that nothing has been done since Hondoq got a battering from the storms but then going from most of the articles I read am not surprised nothing has been done. We are coming back over in May, Sept and Dec 09 and will monitor both Hondoq and Dwerija closely not to mention the roads, and can also throw in the play/communal area in Munxar village to name but a few. My camera will be at the ready to update all those many potential tourists as to how in brochures a holiday on the idylic Island of Gozo is really going to be. Sorry to the locals also for having to put up with local authorities who take a feet on desk attitude to their own surroundings.