A flurry of environment-related events were sprinkled across December, not least among them the Church Environment Commission’s three-day symposium with participatory workshops.
A development notification order issued for ‘cleaning of valley debris’ in Wied tal-Grazzja, Gozo, did not clearly specify the full extent of the works involved- Anne Zammit
Covering a span of resources with the theme “Enough for everyone”, the focus shifted from land to water management and development issues in Gozo. Discussion became quite intense at times as a number of conflicts were laid bare.
At the end of each workshop, participants, who came from a wide range of disciplines and fields of expertise, had the opportunity to jointly oversee the wording of a final document which is yet to be published.
The Church commission was set up in 2003 to create awareness around the responsibility and ethics linked to safeguarding the environment on which we depend. It aims to better define policy and rulings to guide Church authorities on specific environmental questions backed up with technical and scientific advice.
Reflections on a collection of statements issued by the Church Environment Commission so far (2004-2007) have been published in a booklet on environmental obligations. The publication is edited by Dr Paul Pace who, along with the commission’s chairman, Dr Victor Axiaq, steers greening of the Church which has a strong role in policy-making upon which our society is based.
Their path has not always been a smooth one. Old ways of looking at things are often entrenched and some traditions were known for their side effects of environmental damage, going against basic teachings around man’s stewardship on earth.
Apart from giving a well-researched opinion on controversial developments, the Church commission has also pronounced itself on waste, sustainable tourism and climate change. Having branched out considerably into formerly unfamiliar territory where Church matters were concerned, an element of return to more familiar ground was is seen each year.
For example, a paper on environmental impact of Maltese festas (2006) presented a useful technical discussion on how some countries have set up national regulation in the absence of international standard limiting fireworks noise.
The following year the commission’s eye took on a search for the true spirit of Christmas, questioning whether buyers of gifts considered whether their manufacture had caused hardship or cruelty to others, especially children and animals. The conclusion prefers Fair Trade products with profits going more directly to those who work hardest in the production process.
This year will be marked for the comprehensive document on resources in Malta and Gozo from the Church Environment Commission for which the consultative process is still under way.
Speaking at the event held in the frescoed Hall of Miracles at the Archbishop’s Curia in Floriana, hydrologist Marco Cremona pointed to the authorities:
“It is the responsibility of the authorities to make public information on who is pumping up aquifer water in industry.”
He was referring to the irregular way in which some companies and individuals helped themselves to the nation’s ground water resource by means of private boreholes often hidden from view. It was proposed that industries could find a way to join together and produce specialised water for their industrial plants in a more open and controlled way. The water corporation is the only operator authorised to extract water from the aquifer.
The various entities responsible for production, regulation and monitoring of water (Water Services Corporation, Malta Resources Authority, Malta Environment and Planning Authority) seemed unclear on which of them should rise to the hydrologist’s challenge and divulge the missing information.
Alfred Baldacchino, former director of the government’s environment protection directorate, made a similar observation in his presentation on valleys and watercourses, asking who is responsible in the end.
Valleys are in need of sensitive restoration yet some of the clumsy “cleaning” operations have resulted in further spread of alien species and exposure of tree roots resulting in further erosion.
Lack of planning sees trees which are not part of the valley ecosystem introduced. After first establishing what species are found in a particular valley, restoration can start from the bottom of the valley working up with repair of structures under a detailed management plan.
At this point an ex-director-general of the cleaning and maintenance division within the Resources and Rural Affairs Ministry spoke up, saying that valleys had been abandoned by all governments.
“The Malta Environment and Planning Authority gives us the method statement but they think we have an army of people,” he said, arguing that radical interventions could not be done by hand.
An integrated valley management unit appears to exist within the ministry. Technical officers are required to be “familiar with existing legislation on valleys and watercourses and keep abreast of developments in legislation, standards and codes of practice concerning valley management.” Unit officers are briefed to ensure that interventions undertaken by any workforce under their charge are made within the laws and standards.
Yet, according to ecologists this important stage of the valley maintenance process is all but defunct. The situation is bogged down by an under-resourced unit with 29 people, only six of whom are technical officers. It is difficult to see how they can be expected to deal with all valleys when there is not even an inventory of valleys.
Valleys are now being gouged out as water catchment opportunities although they previously never served this function for the large quantities of water storage being demanded of them today.
At the Gozo workshop a strong call for a nature park along the lines of Park Majjistral in Malta was heard. There is a fine area of garigue in northeast Gozo which cries out to be designated as a counterpart flagship to the Eco-Gozo concept.
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