Updated 3.16pm with mayor's comments -

The once vibrant plants that made up the “green wall” along one of Paola’s main streets have been left to wilt and die and will now be taken down - less than three years after the wall was created. 

The vertical garden facing the town’s square was inaugurated in December 2020 by then Environment Minister Aaron Farrugia and cost the taxpayer €30,000. 

But with the plants having wilted and died, Local Council Minister Owen Bonnici said in reply to a parliamentary question that the local council has decided to remove the wall.

Paola Mayor Dominic Grima told Times of Malta that the green wall was one of the first on the island and the material used was not sustainable. 

“The material used for the green wall pockets is a sort of fabric which dries up immediately and does not retain any water,” he said. 

He said the position of the green wall was also a reason behind its downfall, as it was constantly in the sunlight, only speeding up the wilting process of the plants.

He said the plants were watered twice a day, but the planters would still be constantly dry. 

“We even tried to change the plants but it didn’t make a difference,” he said.

The wall is one of several similar “green wall” projects found across the island, such as Marsa and Luqa.

Paola's not so 'green wall' today. Photo: Chris Sant Fournier

Paola's "green wall" in December 2020. Photo: DOI

Bonnici was replying to a question by Opposition MP Carmelo Mifsud Bonnici, after asking if the green wall will be left abandoned. 

In 2021 the plants at the Luqa "green wall" were also left to wilt and dry, prompting outrage among NGOs and citizens calling out a "pure waste of public funds".