I had never heard of Wied Garnaw until recently when two persons stopped me to ask whether I would sign a petition which urges the Malta Environment and Planning Authority to take action to protect this valley.

These two persons explained that they were members of the Save Wied Garnaw Action Group, made up of citizens with different political views but who have one common aim - to stop the destruction of Wied Garnaw by illegal developers.

Four years ago, one of these illegal developers removed the soil from two tumoli of land in Wied Garnaw and started using the site as a skip depot. Shortly after this, Mepa issued an enforcement notice ordering the illegal developer to restore this site to its original state. The illegal developer has ignored this notice for four years. He is now also asking Mepa to sanction his illegalities and grant him permission to build a waste sorting plant!

I decided to see Wied Garnaw for myself and went for a stroll in this valley. I was pleasantly surprised by the natural beauty of this valley, which also serves as a green lung to the surrounding villages of Sta Lucija, Tarxien, Gudja and Luqa.

I have continued to follow this case on the newspapers, and my faith in Mepa started to be restored when over a month ago, I read that it had promised to take "imminent" action so as to bring this piece of land to its original state. However, time continues to pass and Mepa has still not made good its promise.

Recently, the skips were removed but still no sign of the original precious soil is to be seen. Some large containers remain on site. Could these contain machinery used for waste separation? Does the illegal developer have some advance guarantee that Mepa will give him the requested permits?

I would like to thank and encourage all those groups, particularly Save Wied Garnaw Action Group, who are working to safeguard our valleys. Please continue to try and save the few green areas left in the south of Malta.

Furthermore, I would like to urge Mepa to take the necessary action against this and all other illegal developers without delay.

So that the Maltese can have faith in Mepa, this authority must not merely issue enforcement notices or declarations of imminent direct action. It must also be seen to take the required action and to keep its word. If Mepa fails to do so, then the upright citizen will have good reason to ask: who reigns in our countryside - Mepa or illegal developers? And is Mepa on the side of the law or of the illegal developers - as long as they pay the sanctioning fee?