Malta is the EU’s most noise polluting and most obese country

May 23 2022

Not only has Malta just been confirmed as the EU’s most obese country, but a recent report also confirmed that the island has the highest amount of noise pollution.

According to a Eurostat study, the latest figures show that Malta’s obesity rate shoots up to 28.7%, making it the largest one in the bloc.

The obesity rate in the EU increased on an annual basis, with this report confirming a recent WHO study that around 40% of Maltese children are overweight.

Maltese kids aged 5 to 9 years were the third most overweight across all sexes, with adolescents aged 10 to 19 placing second. However, this was not the only issue highlighted by international reports.

The island caught the eye – or rather, the ear – of the European Commission as a study confirmed that just over 30% of people say that they suffer from some form of noise pollution.

Due to its construction sites and hectic traffic, 30.8% of Malta’s inhabitants said they were suffering from nose pollution. This increased from 2016, but the study is based on the perception of people living in the country.

#MaltaDaily

Over 30 motorists handed tickets for over-speeding in 90 minutes

May 23 2022

Police revealed that they handed out tickets to up to 30 motorists for over-speeding on the coast road near Swieqi within a 90 minute period.

One BMW driver was handed a ticket for driving at 130km/h in a 70km/h road on Sunday. One other Toyota Corolla driver was clocked at driving at around 121km/h, with an Audi A4 driver clocking a 120km/h.

With other drivers driving between 107 and 91km/h, some were also booked for driving without seatbelts, having vehicles without number plates or with tinted glass.

A whopping 2,400 tickets have been issued thus far this year, along with an appeal to motorists to respect speed limits and drive safely.

#MaltaDaily

How to treat jellyfish stings as Maltese beaches get invaded

May 23 2022

Beach lovers weren’t the only ones flocking to Malta’s iconic and beautiful sea sides as an invasion of jellyfish also made its way to the distraught of many swimmers.

As rangers patrolling nature sites warned bathers and treated many stings on Sunday, we thought it would be useful to give you a basic guide on how to treat the nasty contact with the jellyfish.

DO NOT apply freshwater, vinegar, alcohol or pressure bandages to stings.
Gently wash the sting with seawater without any rubbing.
Gently apply half-baking soda, half seawater slurry for five minutes.
Use a plastic card to remove the stinger’s tentacle residuals by swiping in one direction.
Apply ice packs wrapped in cloth/thin towel for 5 to 15 minutes. Do NOT apply directly on skin.
It might sting a bit!

#MaltaDaily

Delays to hitting the beach this summer as water temperatures still freezing

May 23 2022

It seems as though our desire to hit the beach might be put on a bit of a hold this summer as the sea temperatures are still reported to be freezing cold.

Easter came late this year, with Malta having celebrated the feast in mid-April. TVM News was informed by a gardening centre owner that the weather was around month or six weeks behind.

The sea is normally coldest in mid-February, but by mid-March, the sea temperature was still at its coldest. The land temperature situation was the same in the surrounding Maltese waters, with the sea temperature going up just around a week ago.

The Department of Geoscience at the University of Malta has kept records of sea temperature for the last five years. The lowest temperature was measured on the 13th of March and was 14.6 degrees Celsius.

In fact, the sea around the Maltese islands got colder much quicker than usual last winter. The sea temperature this year went down to 16 degrees by mid-January. This means the expected temperatures are all being pushed later into the year.

#MaltaDaily