Hondoq project will change area forever (2)
Published on The Times of Malta on 13th October, 2006 by Charles Sammut, New York, US.
Much has been written lately in these pages about the drop in tourism in Malta. Numbers are down and many hotels on Gozo are closing their doors for good.
Yet the powers that be act as though they are clueless as to why this is going on. All one has to do is take a good look around him and he will not wonder any more about the reason why tourists are shunning the islands. It is called over-development, with all its repercussions.
Anytime I am driving down to Mgarr and taking a look at the monstrosity that Chambrai has become, it makes me wonder why this abomination was allowed to happen. A beautiful olive orchard was cut down to be replaced by an eyesore of apartment blocks.
Now it looks like some developers want to destroy another icon - Hondoq ir-Rummien.
As a Gozo native and a frequent visitor to Gozo I have to admit that Hondoq is one of the few spots left where one can enjoy bathing and panoramic, picturesque views. Because it is situated along the Gozo Channel, the water is always clean and refreshing. Now greedy developers want to usurp nature's gift to mankind so they can line their pockets. And the agency that is supposed to prevent this grand larceny went along with the scheme.
Don't the sitting members of Mepa realise that once a marina is built one will never enjoy swimming in that area again? Look what happened to the beaches of my childhood that we used to call Iz-Zewwieqa? A marina was built and now you might as well rename the area the Dead Sea. Between the flotsam and jetsam and the floating oil and diesel, it will just never be the same again.
So I hope the authorities will come to their senses and try and preserve what is left of Gozo if they want to continue having any semblance of a tourist industry. I wonder why this is so hard to comprehend?
Much has been written lately in these pages about the drop in tourism in Malta. Numbers are down and many hotels on Gozo are closing their doors for good.
Yet the powers that be act as though they are clueless as to why this is going on. All one has to do is take a good look around him and he will not wonder any more about the reason why tourists are shunning the islands. It is called over-development, with all its repercussions.
Anytime I am driving down to Mgarr and taking a look at the monstrosity that Chambrai has become, it makes me wonder why this abomination was allowed to happen. A beautiful olive orchard was cut down to be replaced by an eyesore of apartment blocks.
Now it looks like some developers want to destroy another icon - Hondoq ir-Rummien.
As a Gozo native and a frequent visitor to Gozo I have to admit that Hondoq is one of the few spots left where one can enjoy bathing and panoramic, picturesque views. Because it is situated along the Gozo Channel, the water is always clean and refreshing. Now greedy developers want to usurp nature's gift to mankind so they can line their pockets. And the agency that is supposed to prevent this grand larceny went along with the scheme.
Don't the sitting members of Mepa realise that once a marina is built one will never enjoy swimming in that area again? Look what happened to the beaches of my childhood that we used to call Iz-Zewwieqa? A marina was built and now you might as well rename the area the Dead Sea. Between the flotsam and jetsam and the floating oil and diesel, it will just never be the same again.
So I hope the authorities will come to their senses and try and preserve what is left of Gozo if they want to continue having any semblance of a tourist industry. I wonder why this is so hard to comprehend?
posted by Hondoq at
12:44 PM
