Wied Qirda has been mutilated mercilessly as a result of unauthorised works being carried out in this protected valley by Infrastructure Malta. The country path has been tarmacked over and widened considerably, the topography of the valley bed has been altered, a large structure is being built over the valley bed and the very physical characteristics of the valley have been changed (view and download photos from here).
This has been done without authorization from ERA, in an ecologically sensitive zone without any form of approved method statement. It is unacceptable, retrograde and barbaric for a government agency to bulldoze a special area of conservation without any regard for the law whatsoever.
Moviment Graffitti, Friends of the Earth Malta, Futur Ambjent Wieħed, Haż-Żebbuġ local councillor Steve Zammit Lupi and environmentalist Arnold Cassola have joined forces to file a legal action calling upon the ERA to uphold the law and environmental regulations, and remedy the environmental damage done.
The appellants called upon the ERA to establish who is personally and directly responsible for ordering and authorizing these barbaric actions in the valley. “It would be adding insult to injury to have Infrastructure Malta pay to remedy the environmental damage, when Infrastructure Malta is paid for by the taxpayer” said a spokesperson for the appellants.
“The taxpayer would first have financed the illegal works and then also for their removal. It is high time that personal liability is assumed by those responsible for the outright destruction of Wied Qirda, and also to set the yardstick for similar misbehaviour in the future. Law-abiding citizens should not have to pay for Frederick Azzopardi’s and Infrastructure Malta’s mess.”
Stqarrija Stampa Konġunta 24/01/2020
Il-ħerba li qed issir f’Wied Qirda – NGOs, Kunsillier Lokali ta’ Ħaż-Żebbuġ u ambjentalisti jressqu azzjoni legali urġenti
Wied Qirda safa’ rrovinat bla ħniena b’riżultat ta’ xogħlijiet mhux awtorizzati, taħt l-ordnijiet ta’ Infrastructure Malta, li jinsabu għaddejjin f’dan il-wied protett. Il-mogħdija rurali ġiet mgħottija kompletament bl-asfalt u mwessgħa ħafna iktar minn qabel, it-topografija ta’ qiegħ il-wied ġiet immodifikata, qed tinbena struttura pjuttost kbira fuq qiegħ il-wied u l-karatteristiċi fiżiċi stess tal-wied inbidlu (ara u nizzel ir-ritratti minn hawn).
Dan kollu sar mingħajr ma ngħatat l-awtorizzazzjoni mill-ERA, f’żona ekoloġikament sensittiva, u mingħajr ebda forma ta’ dikjarazzjoni tal-metodu approvata. Li aġenżija tal-gvern tibqa’ għaddejja bħal gaffa minn fuq żona speċjali ta’ konservazzjoni mingħajr ebda rigward għal-liġi hija xi ħaġa inaċċettabbli u barbarika.
Il-Moviment Graffitti, Friends of the Earth Malta, Futur Ambjent Wieħed, il-kunsillier lokali ta’ Ħaż-Żebbuġ Steve Żammit Lupi u l-ambjentalista Arnold Cassola ingħaqdu flimkien biex iressqu azzjoni legali sabiex jitolbu lill-ERA tirrispetta l-liġi u r-regolamenti ambjentali, u ssewwi l-ħsara ambjentali li saret.
L-appellanti qed jitolbu lill-ERA tistabbilixxi min huwa personalment u direttament responsabbli biex jordna u jawtorizza dawn l-azzjonijiet barbariċi fil-wied. “Inkunu verament qed inkomplu nitfgħu l-melħ fuq il-ferita jekk Infrastructure Malta tiġi mġiegħla tħallas biex issewwi l-ħsara ambjentali li saret, meta nqisu li Infrastructure Malta hija mħallsa mit-taxxi tal-poplu stess” qal wieħed mill-kelliema f’isem l-appellanti.
“Il-poplu jkun l-ewwel iffinanzja x-xogħlijiet illegali mit-taxxi tiegħu, u mbagħad ikollu jħallas ukoll għar-riparazzjoni tal-ħsara li saret. Wasal iż-żmien li dawk responsabbli jġorru r-responsabbiltà personali għall-qerda sfaċċata li saret f’Wied Qirda, u li nistabbilixxu kriterji standard biex nirregolaw tali imġiba skorretta fil-futur. Iċ-ċittadini li jimxu mal-liġi m’għandhomx għalfejn jiġu mġiegħla jħallsu għall-ħerba li ħallew warajhom Frederick Azzopardi u Infrastructure Malta.”