Efforts to regenerate Wied ta’ Għajn Żejtuna in Mellieħa may have been in vain after trees there suffered extensive damage to their roots due to an inadequate storm water system, residents claim.

Speaking to this newspaper, Santa Marija Estate Residents’ Association chairman Sammy Vella said the storm water collected from roads in the area was directed towards Wied ta’ Għajn Żejtuna, causing flooding in the valley situated in the limits of Santa Marija Estate.

When soil becomes oversaturated, tree roots are exposed, causing great damage that can kill trees. Mr Vella said the problem was not that the water flowed into area, but that it was gushing through a single plastic pipe at the top of the valley.

Water and sewage have caused extensive damage to plants and animals.

The association is therefore asking the local council to implement a better storm-water system that causes less damage.

“We have been calling for action for over a year now. While the damage to the trees is evident, one also has to keep in mind there are also other plants and animals there that risk of being harmed,” Mr Vella said.

Wied ta’ Għajn Żejtuna is located within the settlement boundary of the Santa Marija Estate, flanked by villa development along most of its length.

Mepa scheduled the valley as a Level 2 Area of Ecological Importance in 2009.

Mr Vella said while the association had initially been set up to safeguard residents’ needs, in the past few years it had shifted its focus to also care for the environment in the area. More recently, the residents also noticed that along with storm water, sewage was also trickling into the valley.

“As a result of the rapid increase in development in the area, the drainage system is failing. That means raw nitrates and phosphates, among other chemicals, are flowing into the area,” he said.

Apart from the different indigenous trees, the valley is also home to the freshwater crab and migratory birds.

“After we cleaned the valley some years ago, something that was very much needed, we also planted indigenous plants, which then started attracting different birds. All this is now in jeopardy.”

Mr Vella said the residents had been in contact with the council for months but no action had yet been taken.

When contacted, mayor John Buttigieg said the council was made aware of the soil erosion in the valley during a recent meeting with the residents’ association and was “considering ways and means to prevent such erosion”.