Thirty-eight fishermen operating from Marsaskala Bay wrote a letter to the Minister responsible for Transport and Infrastructure, Hon. Ian Borg, calling for the Yacht Marina plans to be scrapped since these are threatening their livelihood (read the letter here).

In their letter, the fishermen explained how, according to the plans laid out in the call for investments issued by Transport Malta, spaces which are so essential for their fishing activities will be taken up by pontoons, yachts, land reclamation and facilities for the Yacht Marina. The fishermen insisted that Marsaskala Bay is not simply the place where they tie their boats, but also the space where they make all the preparations related to their fishing trips. It is the place where they load their boats and where they unload and sell their catch. The Yacht Marina will take over the whole bay, transforming the types of activity that take place in and around it, with the consequence that the fishermen will end up being pushed away from it. Therefore they insisted that no Yacht Marina should be considered for Marsascala.

Since the plans of Transport Malta for Marsascala came out in the open, various groups and individuals expressed their complete opposition to a Yacht Marina in the locality. Among these, there was a group of fireworks enthusiasts who explained how Marsaskala Bay serves as the “village square”, and therefore most of the feast activities are linked to the bay and its surroundings. These groups are very concerned that substantial parts of the feast would not be able to continue being organised once the bay and the shore will become engulfed by the 700 yachts mentioned in the Transport Malta call. Apart from these groups, hundreds of Marsaskala residents and individuals who hold the village close to their heart, expressed their anger at the plan which will be destroying the core of the locality as well as the social, cultural and recreational activities associated with it.

The Yacht Marina project also led to serious concerns about the environmental impact that it will have on the village. Land reclamation and the disturbances caused by the yachts will have an extensive impact on the natural marine environment which requires so much protection. According to Trasport Malta’s proposal, the Yacht Marina will destroy 16,000 square metres of seabed – the equivalent of two and a half football grounds – due to land reclamation.  The Yacht Marina will inevitably also have a huge impact on the Natura 2000 site of il-Magħluq, since its ecosystem is intrinsically linked to that of the bay.

Tmienja u tletin sajjied li joperaw mill-Bajja ta’ Wied il-Għajn kitbu ittra lill-Ministru għat-Trasport u l-Infrastruttura, l-Onor. Ian Borġ, fejn sejħu sabiex il-pjanijiet għall-Yacht Marina jiġu mħassra għaliex dawn qed jheddu l-għajxien tagħhom (aqra l-ittra hawn).

Fl-ittra tagħhom is-sajjieda spjegaw kif, skont il-pjanijiet fis-sejħa għall-investituri li ħarġet Transport Malta, l-ispazji tant essenzjali għall-attività tas-sajd ser ikunu qed jittieħdu minn puntuni, jottijiet, reklamazzjoni tal-art u faċilitajiet għall-Yacht Marina. Is-sajjieda nsistew li l-Bajja ta’ Wied il-Għajn mhijiex biss il-post fejn jorbtu d-dgħajjes tagħhom, iżda wkoll il-post minn fejn ilestu dak kollu li jeħtiegu għas-sajd, minn fejn jgħabbu d-dgħajjes u minn fejn iħottu u jbiegħu il-qabda tal-ħut. Il-Yacht Marina se tkun qed toħnoq il-bajja kollha u tbiddel it-tip t’attività li ssir fiha, bir-riżultat li s-sajjieda ser jispiċċaw imkeċċijin minnha. Għalhekk huma saħqu li m’għandha tiġi kkunsidrata ebda Yacht Marina f’Wied il-Għajn.

Minn mindu ħarġu fil-beraħ il-pjanijiet ta’ Transport Malta għal Wied il-Għajn, bosta gruppi u individwi esprimew l-oppożizzjoni sħiħa tagħhom għal Yacht Marina fil-lokalità. Fosthom kien hemm gruppi tan-nar u tal-armar tal-festa li spjegaw kif il-Bajja ta’ Wied il-Għajn isservi bħala “l-pjazza” tar-raħal u, għalhekk, l-attivitajiet tal-festa huma fil-biċċa l-kbira marbutin ma din il-bajja u l-madwar tagħha. Dawn l-għaqdiet jinsabu inkwetati li partijiet sostanzjali tal-festa mhux ser ikunu jistgħu jiġu organizzati aktar ladarba l-bajja u x-xatt jispiċċaw fgati bis-700 jott imsemmija fis-sejħa ta’ Transport Malta. Barra minn dawn l-għaqdiet, mijiet ta’ residenti u persuni li jħobbu lil Wied il-Għajn esprimew ir-rabja tagħhom għal pjan li ser ikun qed jeqred il-qalba tal-lokalità u l-attivitajiet soċjali, kulturali u rikrejattivi assoċjati magħha.

Il-proġett tal-Yacht Marina qajjem ukoll tħassib kbir dwar l-impatt ambjentali li ser iħalli. Ir-reklamazzjoni tal-art u d-disturbi tal-jottijiet għandhom effetti estensivi fuq l-ambjent naturali tal-baħar li tant jirrikjedi ħarsien. Skont il-proposta ta’ Trasport Malta, il-Yacht Marina se tkun qed teqred 16,000 metru kwadru ta’ qiegħ il-baħar – l-ekwivalenti ta’ żewġ grounds u nofs tal-football – permezz ta’ reklamazzjoni tal-art. Il-Yacht Marina sejra wkoll inevitabbilment taffettwa bil-kbir sit tan-Natura 2000, il-Magħluq, għaliex l-ekosistema tiegħu hija intrinsikament marbuta ma’ dik tal-bajja.