Environment NGOs this afternoon strongly objected to the sanctioning of illegal buildings at Dwejra, Gozo.
In a statement, Din L-Art Helwa said it had noted that several applications for the sanctioning of illegal buildings in Dwejra are due to come up for a decision by the Mepa board tomorrow.
It said that some of these applications had been pending for around 10 years, and it had already objected to the sanctioning at the time.
"These illegal buildings degrade the natural beauty of the Inland Sea and unique landscape of this area with its rare geological features," DLH said.
"Only recently, an unnecessarily large interpretation centre at Dwejra was given the green light by Mepa. Following Hagar Qim, this was yet another over-sized visitor centre that is being allowed outside the development zone."
Din l-Art Helwa urged Mepa to live up to the promises made repeatedly by the government over the last two years, to protect the countryside and safeguard ecologically sensitive areas such as the landscape around Dwejra, which is also designated as a nature park.
"The proposed reform of Mepa has clearly recognized the need to bring to an end the sanctioning of illegal developments, and it is now up to the authorities to put these words into action," the NGO said.
In a separate statement, BirdLife Malta, Friends of the Earth Malta, Flimkien ghal Ambjent Ahjar, Gaia, NatureTrust and Ramblers Association of Malta also expressed their concern.
"A request for sanctioning means that structures, which have already been built, are in breach of Mepa regulations. In February 2008, environment NGOs had strenuously opposed the approval of some 20 applications to sanction abusive structures and accretions at Dwejra. MEPA approved these on the pretext that it would allow implementation of the Dwejra Action Plan to stop hunting, dumping and impose uniformity and aesthetic improvements in the area with the introduction of wooden apertures, walls painted with palette colours, the removal of all second floors and roof top structures.
"In spite of this commitment to regulate the area, some of the 'boathouses' already resemble small hangars, and 16 new applications are now presented for sanctioning. It is unacceptable that MEPA had sanctioned boathouse abuse two years ago on the basis of drawing the line to prevent any more sanctioning, and it is now considering more sanctioning when five years have passed since the Dwejra Heritage Park Action Plan was agreed to," the NGOs said.
"These abusive tactics and the generally spineless response from Mepa, which have already been strongly condemned by the MEPA auditor in the case of the Ta' Baldu site, are exactly the "illegalities" that eNGOs were recently protesting about."
The NGOs said they would not be attending this MEPA hearing in protest at the current processing of applications by the MEPA Board.
"This hearing will be the test for MEPA to show its credentials. Approval of the Dwejra applications by MEPA will continue to reduce this supposedly protected area to a shanty-town, make a complete mockery of the MEPA reform, will tear to shreds the much-trumpeted new policy for the Environment and will contribute to making a laughing-stock of Eco-Gozo," the NGOs said.