The high waves noted at Ghadira Bay on Wednesday demonstrated that the removal of the existing road as proposed by the Transport Ministry could pose a serious threat to the Ghadira valley and those parts of the Nature Reserve below the sea level, BirdLife stated today.

"As last Wednesday's phenomenon showed, the removal of the existing road, which is probably acting as a coastal defence for the Ghadira valley, could have disastrous consequences as the sea may inundate the agricultural land and the Nature Reserve," said Tolga Temuge, BirdLife Malta Executive Director.

"BirdLife Malta supports any project that would benefit the ecosystems and tourism in Ghadira as long as these projects are based on scientific studies. However contrary to (Transport Minister) Dr. Gatt's claims, the main source of the redistribution of sand could well be the quays built in front of the Sea Bank hotel over ten years ago, as the waves now change direction when they hit the cement barrier of the 100-meter long quay." |Mr Temuge added.

"Some of the largest and most notorious man-made disasters have been the result of rushed decisions that ignored the proper planning and scientific studies. We hope that the ministry will eventually acknowledge this fact and commit itself to a scientific study." he added.