Pullicino Orlando calls on government to heed the people on landfills

Nationalist MP Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando yesterday reiterated his opposition to the proposed siting of temporary landfills close to the Mnajdra temples.

He told parliament during the budget debate on the environment and rural affairs that the government should heed "real experts" and the concerns shown by the majority of the people and come up with other sites to be used as landfills.

Dr Pullicino Orlando observed that the proposed sites, two disused quarries, had been selected after an "extensive" five day study by experts who produced a five-page report.

The majority of the people were concerned about the plans and the government should reconsider, not least so as not to be exposed to criticism that the site of a heritage park would include an area for waste dumping.

The site, he said, was unsuitable not only because it was close to the prehistoric temples but because preparation for use as a landfill would necessitate extensive rock cutting - this when the PN government had stopped the quarries from operating because of damage caused to the temples by rock cutting.

The sites were also unsuitable because they were close to natural water sources and close to the reverse osmosis plant at Lapsi.

There was no doubt that the quarries should be rehabilitated. Indeed, one of the quarries could be used to house the heritage park.

In other parts of his speech Dr Pullicino Orlando praised the government over its plans for an eco-contribution and over the private-public partnership to embellish Malta's roads.

He insisted, however, that the government should act to embellish City Gate and if the site of the old opera house could not be rebuilt, the ruins should at least be removed. No other country greeted visitors to its capital city with ruins of a building demolished by enemy action 60 years previously, he said.

He also asked why the government was not using inert waste for land reclamation purposes.