In the Media

The Times
6th September, 2007

'Anarchy' on the beaches

The Gaia Foundation has appealed to the authorities to take firm action to stop what it said was the "anarchy" taking place at three of the islands' most popular and protected sandy beaches - Ghajn Tuffieha, Ramla and San Blas.

"The hot summer days have seen summer life in full swing. However, the discomfort of the heat is only partially being offset by a day at the beach, thanks to a number of beach and water sports operators that act in full defiance of the laws that protect the bathers," Rudolf Ragonesi, the foundation's executive director, said.

He said Gaia had filed a number of reports with the relevant authorities, calling for the enforcement of regulations pertaining to swimming zones and the free use of sandy beaches, only to find enforcement "slow and ineffective".

Gaia complained that at Ramla, a jet ski was being operated regularly within the swimmers' zone, creating both a nuisance and a danger to bathers, many of whom are young children. Malta Maritime Authority rules do not permit motorised boats to operate within delineated swimming bones. Despite several weeks of complaints and even a formal report submitted to the Commissioner of Police in early July, action had still not been taken, it said.

"Many patrons are also complaining of being met with lines of vacant sun beds taking up space that they may otherwise want to occupy. Abuses have been reported throughout the summer at Ghajn Tuffieha Bay and San Blas, in Gozo."

Canoes are also taking up large areas of these beaches, which are protected areas, Gaia said, adding that the swimmers' zones in the three beaches are being flagrantly ignored by a number of pleasure craft "that field the standard excuses to Gaia rangers when asked to leave".

"A coastal tours boat even had the effrontery to berth right inside the bay to allow its clients to swim a few metres from the shore in the tiny bay of San Blas."

The foundation called on the authorities to bring all offenders to book and to request the courts to suspend the boat handling licences of defaulters. It appealed to the public to respect the maritime laws and bathers and said that photos of all transgressors with their boats and jet skis will be forwarded to the police and to the MMA for immediate action.

It called on bathers to act as vigilantes in their own interest and that of fellow bathers. Questions sent by The Times to the police on Monday about Gaia's claims remained unanswered at the time of writing.