Farmers, residents concerned at proposed expansion of industrial sites at Ta' Alla w Ommu

A group of farmers with holdings in Ta' Alla w Ommu, limits of Naxxar, are concerned that land near their agricultural fields, which already have their fair share of pollution from an existing quarry and other building concerns, is going to be allocated for further industrial use.

This results from a Public Consultation Draft released earlier this month by MEPA on SMEs (Micro Enterprises) Site Selection Exercise. Naxxar T'Alla w Ommu heads the list of designated strategic sites for micro enterprise parks.

George Gauci, who has 200 fruit trees and also grows tomatoes, melons, water melons, potatoes and marrows on his 131/2 tumoli, is concerned about the increase of industrial pollution in the area if the proposal to allocate more industrial units near his fields goes through.

He is not the only one. Carmel Mifsud, who has about 50 tumoli of irrigated land (saqwi) on both sides of the quarry, agreed and complained about the already existing dust and traffic pollution problems.

As we spoke, I could see three, high hills of dust which obviously infringed regulations. George Gatt and Robert Mula, another two farmers in the area who have about three tumoli each, complained that no consideration or consultation took place in their regard and when they contacted the council they were told it was also in the dark.

The criteria listed for selection includes that the site should not be irrigated agricultural land. However, it does not specify how far from such land these sites should be located. If irrigated land has an industrial site 'next door', it is bound to have an impact.

The farmers already have a problem with the existing quarry and they fear that if more sites in the area go to industry they will be pushed off their land and yet another of our green lungs will lose out to dust, noise and other industrial pollution.

"A major active hardstone quarry located adjacent to Wied il-Ghasel... has drastically altered the hydrological characteristics of the valley. In places, the valley slopes are even destroyed by excavations.

"The watershed of Wied Il-Ghasel has an area of approximately 36.92 km2 and an average annual run-off potential of 20,305,000m3 ...The valley is of geo-environmental significance in hydrogeology, hydrology and geomorphology," according to a survey of geological and hydrological resources of the Central Malta Local Plan (September 2000) by Dr S. Xerri.

The survey further states: "No management plan exists for the valley. Currently it serves as a drainage line to run-off. The valley slopes are largely cultivated...The valley was undoubtedly used in the past by the locals for country walks. The only recreational use of the vaslley at present is the abusive shooting and trapping of birds.

"The hardstone quarry... has irreversibly destroyed the geomorphological characteristics of the most significant part of the valley and mounds of aggregate, quarry rejects and rubble have also altered its natural morphology further downstream of the Plan area at the top of Burmarrad Valley."

Quarrying is recognised as "the priciple conflicting activity and needs to be checked if site conservation is desired", the survey said. Protection of the resource demands a complete stop to quarrying, removal of all aggregate and rubble mounds, and related industrial erections."

In August 1992 an application by a contractor for a building permit in Triq Burmarrad was refused. The reason given: "site is to be reinstated for agricultural use". An appeal hearing by a parliamentary select committee confirmed the refusal for industrial development and confirmed the site was to be reinstated for agricultural use, in October 1992.

So despite recommendations to check the damage caused by the quarry to the valley, which runs alongside the proposed industrial site, and previous intentions to reinstate land in the area for agrigultural use, not only has nothing been done but to add insult to injury the fact that nothing has been done is being used as a reason for expanding industrial space in a fertile area.

It seems that instead of helping the farmers who have to contend with quarry dust, that same dust is being used as a reason to further encroach on their livelihood.

In the case of the site at Santu Kristu, Ghaxaq, in the consultation draft, the Agriculture Department deemed that the land of high agricultural value totally surrounding it has to be protected.

Whereas the T'Alla W Ommu site "consists mostly of uncultivated land which was formerly of high agricultural value, its potential was drastically reduced due to dust from adjacent building industry plants." With regard to the Mgarr site, the Agriculture Department commented that the site is "adjacent to well irrigated land".

However, so is Ta' Alla w Ommu. A recent Agricultural Chemistry Laboratories certificate of soil analysis revealed that the soil had a very high content of phosphate oleen and potassium.

A number of residents in the area are also protesting and although they have already sent in a brief response, they are in the process of submitting a more detailed response, Mary Calleja Gerada, the chairperson of the residents association, told me yesterday.