The building of the controversial cemetery in Nadur has been at a standstill since March, when works were found to be in breach of the planning permits.
But the developers, the Nadur parish church, have said the infringements were being “sorted out” and works were expected to resume in the near future.
The enforcement notice stopping the work was a setback for the parish and it hoped the “social” project would advance, without further hassles, although no deadlines were ever set.
The Nadur cemetery was not built according to the plan submitted to the planning authority and gaps between the graves were excavated and roofed, creating underground passages which had also not been approved.
The planning authority said it was now being asked to sanction these variations, but the case is pending.
According to a Nadur farmer, Martin Camilleri, who has about 280 citrus trees below the cemetery, the damage has been done. He claims to be experiencing “enormous problems” due to the fact that the cemetery has been built on one of the Għajn Qasab springs, which he used for irrigation, reducing the amount of water significantly and leading to lower yields and lower quality produce.
“Before the impact of the heavy machinery and the excavation works, the spring collected 10 litres of water every five seconds; now it collects less than half that amount,” said Mr Camilleri, president of the Gozitano Agriculture Society.
His trees are suffering because of the loss and lack of water and he is now forced to buy it, refusing to do so if it is not from a spring.
Moreover, when it rained last winter, the water, which goes through the cemetery and into the spring, was “white with concrete” due to the construction work, Mr Camilleri added. “We have even experienced dust in the water and in the future we expect contamination from the decomposing bodies too.”
Concern has also been expressed about the rainwater from the cemetery, which flows to the main road that leads to Ramla Bay, possibly contaminating the sea.
Responding to that worry, the planning authority said “a study on the effects on hydrology and hydrological features, which investigated the impact of the proposed development on, for example, changes in surface water runoff and how this would be mitigated, was submitted with the full development application and sent to the Malta Resources Authority.”
It said the MRA did not object to the proposed construction of a cemetery, adding that such clearance was subject to a number of conditions, including the limitation of any excavations to a maximum of 3.5 metres below street level.
Listing the mistakes he said were linked to the Nadur cemetery, Mr Camilleri said the whole area was meant to be sealed in tar and its concrete bed was meant to have strong iron reinforcement.
But corners had been cut and it was cracked.
The rainwater, therefore, fell into the fields, he said, adding that the spring water would never be the same.
Mr Camilleri has written to the Parliamentary Secretariat for the Environment and to the Malta Environment and Planning Authority to inform them about the problems he is facing.