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Il-wirt naturali fiż-Zejtun mhedded



Matul din il-ġimgħa segwejt mill-qrib il-kummenti u l-artikli li għaddejin fid-dinja virtwali fuq l-estensjoni maħsuba għaz-zona industrijali ta’ Bulebel. Estensjoni li ser twassal il-fabbriki sa mitt metru mill-eqreb residenzi, dawk taz-zona magħrufa bħala Ġebel San Martin.

Jidher li l-isferġju ambjentali li ser toħloq din l-estensjoni mhuwiex wieħed żgħir. L-ewwelnett, iz-zona hija kollha kemm hi magħmula minn għelieqi agrikoli, li għadhom jinħadmu, u li għadhom s’issa miżrugħin bil-patata u bid-dwieli. Patata li dawn il-bdiewa ma jafux hux ser jilħqu jaħsdu sa Marzu, u dwieli li qatgħu qalbhom li ser jaraw Awissu. Huma irziezet li l-lapidi fuq il-post juru li ilhom hemm minn qabel l-1779. Vera li dawn il-bdiewa m’għandhomx titlu fuq l-art, vera li l-art hija tal-Gvern u kienu qed jaħdmuha biss bi qbiela, pero’ aħna suppost mhux qed nippruvaw naraw li jkollna żvilupp sostenibbli? Suppost mhux qed naraw li nħarsu l-art agrikola li baqa’? Kif dawn il-bdiewa jirċievu notifika biex jiżgumbraw l-irziezet u l-għelieqi li ilhom jaħdmu għal għomorhom? U mingħajr biss ma jingħataw alternattiva?

Fuq dan infatti, tkellmet in-Nature Trust (aqra hawn), li qalet li l-Gvern f’Settembru tal-2015 kien iffirma flimkien ma’ 192 pajjiż ieħor sabiex jilħaq miri sostenibbli tal-iżvilupp, il-Global Goals for Sustainable Development. Mira numru tnejn titlob lill-gvernijiet biex jeliminaw il-ġuħ u jtejbu l-provvista u s-sigurtà tal-ikel billi jippromwovu l-agrikoltura sostenibbli. Nature Trust staqsew kif jista’ jkun li din il-mira qed tintlaħaq, meta fi kliemu f’Malta donnu hemm pjan biex l-art ODZ tinqered darba għal dejjem. L-iżvilupp ta’ art agrikola jpoġġi f’riskju l-kunċett tal-aċċess ekonomiku u fiżiku kif spjegat min-Nazzjonijiet Magħquda, u jista’ jitfa’ lil Malta f’sitwazzjoni fejn ma nkunux kapaċi nipproduċu ikel biżżejjed għalina nfusna u jkollna niddependu minn pajjiżi barranin.

Apparti minn hekk, f’din iz-zona hemm aktar minn sebgħin siġra tal-ħarrub li għandhom ‘il fuq minn mitt sena, siġra li hi protetta, u li żgur ser ikollhom jinqerdu biex iseħħ l-iżvilupp propost.

Tkellmet l-NGO Wirt iż-Żejtun (https://wirtizzejtun.com/), li qalet li apparti l-valur agrikolu, iz-zona hija magħrufa għal fdalijiet arkeoloġiċi, speċjalment oqbra puniċi. Qalet li r-residenti ħa jkunu affetwati minn tniġġis tal-istorbju, minn tnaqqis fil-valur tal-proprjetà tagħhom, u mill-fatt li b’dan l-iżvilupp iż-Żejtun isir parti miz-zona urbana tal-Port il-Kbir, u allura jispiċċa l-green belt ta’ madwar ir-raħal, xi ħaġa li taffetwa d-deċiżjonijiet tal-ippjanar fil-futur u li ħa ttellfu l-karatteristiċi tiegħu ta’ raħal tipiku Malti. Dan wassal lil din l-NGO tibda tiġbor petizzjoni biex tiġi protetta din iz-zona, li tagħmel parti minn Wied Żrinġ.

Magħhom ingħaqad ukoll Steve Borġ, eks-kandidat tal-Partit Laburista fl-Elezzjonijiet tal-Parlament Ewropew, li qal li din turi kemm hawn min mhux sensittiv għall-firxa kerha urbana li qed ngħixu fiha.

Tkellmu wkoll il-kunsilliera tal-Partit Nazzjonalista fiż-Żejtun, Amanda Abela u Raymond Caruana, li qalu li għalkemm jifhmu l-importanza li jkollna zoni industrijali li joħolqu x-xogħol u jkabbru l-ekonomija, dan m’għandux jiġi għad-detriment li n-naħa t’isfel ta’ Malta tkompli titlef mill-ispazi miftuħa tagħha u l-art agrikola. Alternattivi oħra jeżistu, speċjalment f’zoni industrijali oħra, li ma jeqirdux art agrikola u b’valur ukoll arkeoloġiku.

Ta’ min infakkru li fir-reviżjoni tal-pjani lokali tal-2006, il-Gvern ta’ dak iż-żmien kien żied fil-pjan lokali li jekk qatt xi darba jkun hemm bżonn tiġi żviluppata din l-art, l-ewwel irid isir studju fuq il-valur agrikolu tagħha. Infatti, l-estensjonijiet kollha li saru mill-2006 sal-lum, dejjem ġie evitat li tintuża’ din l-art. Minkejja li l-pjan lokali jitlob li jsiru tali studju pero’, jidher li l-Gvern intenzjonat jibqa’ għaddej mingħajr ma jsiru dawn l-istudji, li suppost huma rikjesti bil-liġi.

Nagħlaq billi nikkwota frażi li qasam ħabib tiegħi Żejtuni fuq il-pjattaforma soċjali facebook din il-ġimgħa: “Aħna maħniex interessati li mmorru dawra fuq bankini tal-konkos u xi naqra turf biex jaqta' l-griż. Ħallulna l-borduri taż-Żejtun kif inhuma. Ma tistax tgħid li tħobb iż-Żejtun u ma titkellimx kontra tali "proġett".


Nibqa’ nittama li jirbaħ is-sens komun, u l-paroli ta’ “żvilupp sostenibbli”, “priorità lill-ambjent” u “nħarsu l-agrikoltura” nqegħduh fil-prattika.



Dan l-artiklu deher fil-Mument tal-Ħadd 4 ta' Frar 2018.

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