Opinion: Why Joseph Portelli’s Next Project Should Be To Build A New Island
With a population of just over 500,000 people, Malta is one of the most densely populated countries in the world. As a result, Malta is facing major land scarcity and is struggling to keep up with the demands of its growing population.
Reclaiming land from the sea is one way to create more living space and agricultural land for the people of Malta.
Additionally, reclaimed land could be used for infrastructural projects such as ports, airports, and roads. This would improve Malta’s economic prospects and make it an even more attractive destination for tourists.
Reclaiming land from the sea also offers the potential to mitigate the increasing effects of climate change, as it provides an opportunity to construct more resilient coastlines.
For example, reclaimed land could be used to create coastal barriers, which could reduce the impact of flooding and storm surge in the event of extreme weather events. Something everyone on the island will be well aware of if you’ve stepped outside the past week.
An example of land reclaimed from the sea in the Netherlands.Credits: Britannica
A country that has been reclaiming land from the sea for hundreds of years is the Netherlands.
The country is bordered by the North Sea and is largely located below sea level. As a result, the Netherlands has had a long history of reclaiming land from the sea.
This process, known as poldering, has been used since the 12th century and has allowed the Dutch to build their cities and towns upon the reclaimed land. The process of poldering involves the construction of a dike, or embankment, built out of clay, sand and peat, to prevent the sea from flooding the land.
This embankment is then reinforced with additional materials such as stone and concrete. The sea is then pumped out from behind the dike, creating a polder, or a piece of land that was previously underwater.
This process is often combined with land reclamation, the process of adding sand or soil to the area to further raise the land level. The consequences of poldering and land reclamation are both positive and negative. On one hand, the Netherlands has been able to use the reclaimed land to build cities, towns, and farms, thus providing employment and a higher quality of life to its citizens.
On the other hand however, poldering and land reclamation projects can cause a drastic decrease in natural habitats for both plants and animals. This can lead to a decrease in biodiversity and a disruption of the local ecosystem
Dubai, located in the United Arab Emirates, is known for its ambitious projects, and the most ambitious of them all is Palm Island. It is an artificial archipelago, which was built to increase the city’s coastline and to create a new tourist destination.
Construction began in 2001 and the island is actually made up of three islands, which are Palm Jumeirah, Palm Jebel Ali and Palm Deira.
The cost of the project was estimated to be around $14 billion. The main cost was the construction of the breakwaters, which were built to protect the islands from the sea. So could Malta look to the Middle East and reclaim land from the sea?
The Dubai project involved the use of sand dredged from the sea bed, which was then transported to the site and used to create the breakwaters. The islands had to be constructed using a large amount of land reclamation, which required a lot of sand and other materials. The logistical challenges were significant.
But on what coastline would Malta locate an artificial island and would it be feasible? The country itself is overpopulated and the rising numbers moving to Malta isn’t sustainable in its current form. More construction is necessary I’m afraid.
Palm Island on the coastline of Dubai cost upwards of $14 billion to build
Land reclamation isn’t new to Malta. Several projects have been achieved by doing just that. The Ċirkewwa land reclamation, Marsa Sports Grounds, the Msida promenade and Terminal Two of the Freeport in Birżebbuġa has been operational for nearly thirty years.
Would Palm Island work in Malta? Perhaps the Maltese version would be Carob Island, or Portellisland if Joseph gets involved.
So why hasn’t land reclamation been a part of the long-term strategy of government? Well it’s in the pipeline, as MaltaToday reported back in June 2022.
Several areas have been earmarked for development. Not to the same scale as projects in Dubai or Singapore. But progress is being made. In 2019, the Environment and Resources Authority (ERA) was tasked by the government with identifying potential sites for land reclamation projects.
Those were announced as being land between Portomaso and Xgħajra as ideal for “large-scale land reclamation projects”.
Other sites mentioned in the report included; Qalet Marku in Baħar iċ-Ċagħaq and the Freeport, were also seen as ideal for medium and small-scale projects.
Other sites identified in the ERA report included the Mġarr harbour in Gozo, St Paul’s Bay, Marsaxlokk and a spoil ground off Xgħajra already utilised for the dumping of construction waste.
Infrastructure Minister Aaron Farrugia has also pledged that major land reclamation projects will take place this legislature.
Land reclamation projects will lessen the pressure on ODZ land and if the planning authority can implement these projects with green credentials. Then the issue of green spaces could become a thing of the past.
Do you think Malta should reclaim land?
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