Balluta Bay To Undergo Sand Replenishment (Again) Along With Two Other Maltese Beaches
Balluta Bay, along with two other beaches, will be part of the Beach Extension program, where the small sandy beaches will be replenished for a new look.
Addressing a press conference near Birżebbuġa’s St. George’s Bay earlier today, Tourism Minister Konrad Mizzi said the southern beach, along with Marsaxlokk’s Għar l-Aħmar and the aforementioned Balluta Bay will be replenished and extended by 25 metres.
The Marsaxlokk and Birżebbuġa bays will be freshened up by the Government, while the Balluta Bay will be extended by the Marriott Hotel
Dr. Mizzi said the hotel owners have promised to take care of the replenishment for the next five years, and the beach will be open to the public without any interference.
Għar l-Aħmar in Marsaxlokk will undergo a solid fixture, and with sporadic replenishment, it’s calculated to have an approximate lifespan of 15 years. On the other hand, Birżebbuġa’s San Ġorġ is a temporary extension project.
Balluta Bay’s replenishment was the pilot project last year… leading to a mix of controversy and memes after heavy August rainfall totally reversed most of the work
Konrad Mizzi speaking at the press conference announcements earlier this morning. Photo from a Times of Malta video.
The Malta Tourism Authority’s Kevin Fsdani explained how the beaches would be renourished in a natural way, and not through an imported and placed material like Paceville’s St. George’s Bay.
“It’s called a ‘non-permanent beach’ for the very simple reason that there are no hard structures being implemented,” Fsadni told the Times of Malta earlier today. “It is believed this it the most natural and environmentally-sensitive way of renourishing a beach.”
The three beaches could very well end up serving as an example for the entire Maltese coastline
“We would like to develop a strategy for the whole coast of malta,” Fsadni finished, mentioning a number of “pocket beaches” that could similarly be enlarged by a small percentage.
“Our plan is for the whole coast of the island to be surveyed, and for the beaches such as these to be identified and replenished,” he said.
Featured Image: Left Photo of Konrad Mizzi from One News