Transport Malta is to plant 108 trees as a counteractive measure for the uprooted 24 trees that have to be removed from Luqa Road in connection with an underpass to Sta Luċija.

Permits were granted for the uprooting of 24 trees and the transplanting of 161 trees. 

Read: Addolorata hill trees may be uprooted for Sta Luċija underpass

Once the relevant environmental applications related to infrastructural works on Vjal Santa Luċija are submitted by TM, the Environment and Resources Authority would be evaluating the proposal by applying similar criteria, based on the current Trees and Woodlands Protection Regulations to safeguard as many trees as possible, the government said on Friday.

Read: Stop the massacre of trees, eNGO pleads

"At the core of these decisions, the authority applies sustainability criteria that require one to see the environment in a holistic context, noting the adverse effects of traffic congestion on air quality," it said.

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