An action plan to water the trees along the Senglea promenade was drawn up by a group of civic-minded citizens.

Last year, in the midst of preparations for the embellishment of the Senglea promenade, residents noticed that many of the trees had been marked with a large red ‘T’. Had the plague come to town? No, it was apparently just a rather primitive way of instructing the workers to ‘kill’ these trees.

A protest meeting was swiftly organised on site with the help of Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħjar and Facebook groups. It received the attention of the media and a ‘stay of execution’ was issued. Protesters went home relieved, looking forward to enjoying the embellished promenade.

Soon enough, however, these trees took on a striking resemblance to something one would expect to see in the Addams Family garden – barren of foliage and very skeletal.

Recently a Senglea resident took it upon herself to consult a tree expert to assess the damage and he concluded that for the trees to have a fighting chance of surviving the brutal treatment they had been subjected to, they had to be heavily watered each week. Immediately, in a truly inspirational demonstration of personal civic responsibility, the resident, in collaboration with the local council, hired a bowser to water all the sickly trees.

The news soon spread among residents and members of the community awareness group Friends of Cottonera Forum, and an action plan to water the trees was initiated. Will this amount to money being thrown down the drain? Hopefully not, but whatever the outcome, a potent message is being sent: for many members of the public, tolerance for the wanton and gratuitous destruction of trees is over.

Some questions remain – why should residents be footing the bill for watering the trees, which should really be carried out by the State, and for how much longer will this continue?

Moreover, if a citizen was found to be wilfully damaging public property, she or he would most certainly be arrested and fined. How is it therefore that those responsible for the unnecessary damage caused to the trees and the subsequent failure to adequately care for them are not being held accountable?