Hi biss impressjoni jew tassew qed jiżdied l-iskart fit-toroq? Donnu li mhux sempliċement ir-rimi żdied imma qed inbatu biex nassiguraw li t-tindif isir regolarment u b’mod tajjeb.
Kont smajt, imma forsi nformawni ħażin, li problemi kroniċi fil-ġbir tal-iskart maż-żmien baqgħu jiżdiedu mhux jonqsu. Naturalment dan mhux qasam li jiġbed lejh wisq interess, ħlief meta l-affarijiet tassew jiżgarraw għal kollox, li mhuwiex il-kas sa issa.
Jidher li parti sostanzjali tar-responsabbiltà għall-ġbir tal-iskart, inkluż it-tindif pubbliku, taqa’ taħt il-kunsilli lokali. Kważi kollha jilmentaw, x’aktarx bir-raġun, li m’għandhomx fondi biżżejjed. Biex tagħqad, il-volum ta’ skart żdied, mhux l-anqas f’riflessjoni tat-tkabbir ekonomiku, speċjalment fil-kostruzzjoni; il-ħteġiet ambjentali “ġodda” daħħlu l-esiġenza ta’ ġbir organizzat b’mod aktar komplikat u allura jiġi jqum aktar; fil-ġirja għall-irħas kuntratt mal-privat għall-ġbir u t-tindif, il-kwalità tas-servizz majnat (mhux kullimkien); u forsi wkoll in-nies saru aktar traskurati.
Ta’ min wieħed jara kif titqajjem kuxjenza dwar x’jista’ jsir biex il-problema tiġi kontrollata.
MIN BDIHA?
Tista’ taqbel jew ma taqbilx (jien pjuttost le) mad-dijatriba li l-kap tal-kumnikazzjoni f’Kastilja ppubblika f’gazzetta lokali kontra l-kap attwali tal-Oppożizzjoni.
Li laqatni fuq kollox kienu l-ilmenti ta’ bosta erwieħ tajba, dwar kif mhux sew li uffiċjal publiku, anke jekk hu appuntat politikament, jippronunzja ruħu b’mod partiġġjan. Dawn l-erwieħ tajba fejn kienu matul l-aħħar ħmistax-il sena?
Sa minn qabel l-2003, membri tas-segretarjati ta’ ministri Nazzjonalisti ta’ dak iż-żmien bdew ma jitmeżimżux fil-kumnikazzjonijiet uffiċjali tagħhom ikunu partiġġjani, ġieli bl-akar mod ardit. Veru li dak iż-żmien kien hemm id-deni tal-kontroversja dwar jekk Malta kellhiex tidħol jew le fl-Unjoni Ewropea. Imma wara li din għaddiet, il-prattika baqgħet għaddejja fiż-żewġ amministrazzjonijiet ta’ Dottor Gonzi.
Stramba hux, imma dak iż-żmien l-ebda ruħ tajba ma ħarġet tilmenta. Kien hemm min iżżuffjetta meta qajjimt il-punt.
SOLUZZJONIJIET TA’ MALAJR
Kwalunkwe gvern jiġi ffaċċjat b’tentazzjoni kbira biex quddiem sfidi kbar u politikament diffiċli jara kif jillipazza u jagħżel soluzzjonijiet ta’ malajr. Uħud minnhom ikunu skont kif jgħid il-qawl Malti, bħal meta traqqa l-pannu bil-qargħa aħmar.
Biss meta bħal fiż-żminijiet tal-lum, l-ekonomija tkun tippompja b’rankatura sabiħa, jinħoloq spazju u nifs biex it-toroq li jintgħażlu jkunu dawk aktar diffiċli li mhux dejjem jiftehmu mill-ewwel għax ikunu qed jitfasslu għat-tul.
Fl-istess ħin, wieħed irid joqgħod attent biex ma jaffaċċjax ħafna sfidi “tat-tul” f’salt. Wisq minnhom jistgħu jiżbilanċjaw id-dgħajsa, jekk tkun ċkejkna. U ma tridx tħares iżżejjed fit-tul, għax sakemm tasal dik l-iskadenza kif intqal, kulħadd ikun miet.
English Version – Street refuse
Is it just a suspicion or has street refuse been increasing? It does seem as if it is not simply a question of an increase in volume, but that it is becoming difficult to ensure that cleansing is carried out regularly and in a proper manner.
I had been told, but I might have been misinformed, that chronic problems in refuse collection have continued to increase, not decrease, with time. Naturally this is a sector that does not attract much attention, except when disaster looms – which is not the case as of now.
Apparently, a substantial responsibility for waste collection, including public cleansing, is still devolved to local councils. Practically all of them complain, probably with reason, that they are underfunded. To compound matters the volume of waste has increased, reflecting in part economic growth, especially in construction. “New” environmental requirements have meant that the collection of refuse must be organised in more complicated ways, thereby boosting expenses. In the effort to secure the cheapest contract with private entities for waste collection and public cleansing, the quality of service has declined (though not everywhere). Then too perhaps, people have become more negligent.
It may have be necessary to consider raising an awareness about the problem and what can be done to bring it under control.
***
Who started it?
You can be for or against (I’m against rather) the diatribe that the head of communications at Castille published against the current Opposition leader in a local paper.
What however impressed me most in the affair were the complaints of many good souls, who felt it is really bad form for a public official, even if he happens to be a political appointee, to make partisan statements. Where have these good souls been living during the past fifteen years?
As of pre-2003, members of the secretariats of then Nationalist ministers no longer felt any compunction about wrapping partisan input around their official communications, some of it quite vitriolic. True, at the time there was the fever caused by the controversy over whether Malta should join the EU or not. But when this was over, the practice continued during the two Gonzi administrations.
So it’s strange is it not? – that no good soul raised any lament then. Indeed, there were some who ridiculed the point when I made it.
***
Short run solutions
All governments experience the big temptation to take a step back and plump for short term solutions when facing major challenges that are politically tricky. Some approaches in this sense, would actually be nothing more or less than a fudge.
However in circumstances like those of today, when the country’s economic engine is running smoothly and well, space and time emerge for the implementation of strategies that are more difficult to manage because being long term, people will need time to understand their significance.
Meanwhile, one must watch out not to take on too many “long term” challenges all at once. Too many of them on board could easily unbalance a vessel that is on the small side. And one does not want to look too far out into the future since as somebody has said, by that time we’ll all be dead.
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