The Government’s plan of a fixed number pre-booked slots for entry at the Blue Lagoon is wrought with loopholes and purposefully misses the main culprits of Comino’s overexploitation – large tourist vessels.

When, three years ago, Moviment Graffitti descended onto Blue Lagoon with a direct action, we made a concrete demand: Totally prohibit large tourist ferries from Comino.

This action would target large commercial operators, such as Zammit Tabona’s Captain Morgan operations, which actively ensnare tourists from the Sliema Ferries and Buġibba and unload them onto the Blue Lagoon in their thousands every day. Many of these tourists may not even have intended to visit the Blue Lagoon at all in the first place. Banning the operation of these vessels would have eliminated the need for a cap.

We reiterate our concern that imposing a cap risks it being capitalised by commercial operators at the cost of residents of the Maltese Islands who wish to travel to Comino. It is also amply clear that the proposed cap will likely translate to business-as-usual for these large vessel operators, continuing to offload hundreds of tourists to Blue Lagoon three times a day, each with their impacts of waste generation, pollution, noise, and trampling.

More worrying still is the continued resistance by the government to publish Comino’s carrying capacity study. The entirety of Comino is a nature reserve, but government’s intentions do not seem to genuinely respect this since the cap they are proposing applies solely to the Blue Lagoon. Therefore, they are pushing tourist operators to increase their presence in other parts of the island at the detriment of the environment and of locals’ Comino experience. This is compounded by the recent approval by the Planning Authority of the redevelopment of the Comino Hotel, including the drastic increase of gross floor area and commercial activity at Santa Marija Bay, with the proposal of a jetty and restaurant. 

Moreover, Blue Lagoon’s pre-booking system includes the provision for 4,000 people to be at the Blue Lagoon between 8pm and 10pm every day. Allowing this activity on a nature reserve beyond sunset, given the sensitivity of the site, does not bode well for the integrity of Comino’s biodiversity.

Government’s weak hand in the face of big business and close ties with certain commercial entities on Comino is evident for all to see. Minister Ian Borg is selling our common heritage to business empires and taking the public for a ride.

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Il-Gvern m’għandux viżjoni ġusta u sostenibbli għal Kemmuna

Il-pjan tal-Gvern biex idaħħal sistema ta’ slots fissi u b’riservazzjoni għall-aċċess fil-Blue Lagoon huwa mimli lakuni u intenzjonalment jevita li jindirizza l-ikbar kawża tal-isfruttament żejjed ta’ Kemmuna – il-vapuri l-kbar tat-turisti.

Meta tliet snin ilu l-Moviment Graffitti niżel il-Blue Lagoon b’azzjoni diretta, għamilna talba konkreta: Projbizzjoni totali tal-vapuri l-kbar tat-turisti milli jidħlu Kemmuna.

Din l-azzjoni tkun immirata lejn l-operaturi kummerċjali kbar, bħal dawk ta’ Captain Morgan, immexxija miż-Zammit Tabona, li jattiraw numru kbir ta’ turisti minn Tas-Sliema u Buġibba, u jniżżluhom fil-Blue Lagoon bl-eluf kuljum. Ħafna minn dawn it-turisti lanqas ikollhom l-intenzjoni li jżuru l-Blue Lagoon fl-ewwel lok. Projbizzjoni ta’ dawn il-vapuri tneħħi l-bżonn ta’ limitazzjoni tan-numru ta’ nies.

Nerġgħu nesprimu t-tħassib tagħna li din il-limitazzjoni tista’ tintuża għall-vantaġġ tal-operaturi kummerċjali u kontra l-interess taċ-ċittadini tal-Gżejjer Maltin li jixtiequ jżuru Kemmuna. Huwa wkoll ċar ħafna li din il-limitazzjoni proposta x’aktarx ma tagħmilx differenza għal dawn l-operaturi kbar, li se jkomplu jniżżlu mijiet ta’ turisti fil-Blue Lagoon tliet darbiet kuljum, b’impatti negattivi fuq l-ambjent bħal żibel, tniġġis, storbju u tgħaffiġ.

Aktar allarmanti huwa r-reżistenza kontinwa tal-Gvern li jippubblika l-istudju dwar il-kapaċità ta’ Kemmuna. Il-gżira kollha ta’ Kemmuna hija riżerva naturali, iżda jidher li l-pjanijiet tal-Gvern ma jirrispettawx dan il-fatt, peress li l-limitazzjoni proposta tapplika biss għall-Blue Lagoon. Dan ifisser li l-Gvern qed iħeġġeġ lill-operaturi turistiċi jespandu l-attività tagħhom f’partijiet oħra tal-gżira, b’detriment għall-ambjent u għall-esperjenza tar-residenti Maltin u Għawdxin li jżuru Kemmuna. Din is-sitwazzjoni hija aggravat bil-fatt li l-Awtorità tal-Ippjanar approvat l-iżvilupp mill-ġdid tal-lukanda fuq Kemmuna, inkluż żieda drastika fil-volum tal-bini, u żieda fil-kummerċ ġewwa l-bajja ta’ Santa Marija b’ġettie u ristorant.

Barra minn hekk, is-sistema ta’ riservazzjoni għall-Blue Lagoon ser tfisser li 4,000 persuna jistgħu jkunu preżenti bejn it-8pm u l-10pm kuljum. Li tippermetti din l-attività f’riżerva naturali wara nżul ix-xemx, meta wieħed jikkunsidra s-sensittività tas-sit, huwa theddida serja għall-integrità tal-bijodiversità ta’ Kemmuna.

Id-dgħufija tal-Gvern quddiem il-poteri kbar tan-negozju u l-qrubija ma’ ċerti entitajiet kummerċjali fuq Kemmuna hija ċara għal kulħadd. Il-Ministru Ian Borg qed ibigħ il-wirt komuni tagħna lill-imperu tan-negozji filwaqt li jigdeb lill-pubbliku.