‘Nadur Nadif’ took to social media to call out the negligence surrounding Comino, which they described as ‘an island with no vision.’
Nadur Nadif had organized multiple clean-up initiatives around Comino Island throughout the year. Despite the island being safeguarded by numerous policies, negligence, shabbiness, and insufficient enforcement has still affected the island.
This led the group to decide to address these issues this year, resulting in the collection of approximately 210 garbage bags, mainly from the vicinity of the old hospital.
During the summer, a return visit was made to assess the impact of increased visitors on the environment.
Observations made during a hike from Blue Lagoon to Santa Marija Bay, then to the Old Hospital, revealed several key points:
- Sunbeds were already placed on the garigue by 8:15 am.
- Despite the cleaners’ efforts, the increasing volume of waste was not being effectively managed.
- The lack of adequate bins not only led to dumping but also detracted from the landscape.
‘This is quite alarming, knowing that 7 years ago ERA published the Natura 2000 Management Plan for Comino. This clearly outlines the importance of implementing a tourism carrying capacity assessment, in order to provide recommendations for the management of the area.’
The group lamented how various plans and promises were not adhered to. ‘Although, the deckchairs were reduced by 65% from Blue Lagoon, these were transferred to another part of the island.’
’This shows that the system (or lack of it) used in Comino is completely insufficient and inadequate, as it only focuses on the economic aspect. This lack of planning is not only harming the environment, with the increase in noise, light and general pollution, but also the economic aspect.’
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