Activist group Moviment Graffitti has expressed concern on ongoing works carried out by Infrastructure Malta in Wied Qirda, which include the construction of a bridge.

The group said the work was carried out in a protected area without a permit and noted that the Environment and Resources Authority (ERA) had issued a Stop and Compliance Order for Wied Qirda in November, but that works continued anyway. 

ERA had already stopped Infrastructure Malta from carrying on with the roadworks which include asphalting, widening of the paths and laying down the foundations for the bridge.

“The enforcement notices were not only ignored, but also removed, and the works carried on as if nothing had happened,” Moviment Graffitti said.

It said Wied Qirda is listed as a special area of conservation that deserves protection and that no development may take place in it without the authorisation of the Environment and Resources Authority in accordance with the Environment Protection Act. 

"The person to blame for all this is none other than Engineer Frederick Azzopardi, the right-hand man of Minister Ian Borg who feels entitled to place himself above the law, as is often shown by his arrogance and contempt for the law. As head of Infrastructure Malta, he is well known for being at the helm of projects carried out despite no permit being obtained, including the widening of Tal-Balal Road. Not surprisingly, yet again he seems to find nothing wrong with charging through the valley, without any concern for the people of Żebbuġ, in a similar fashion like one of his monstrous machines,” the activist group said.

The concrete bridge, approximately nine metres wide, is being constructed to facilitate access between one side of the valley and the other for the benefit of a residence on the other side. The group said the residence is that of lawyer, architect and government consultant Robert Musumeci. 

The bridge replaces a concrete dam which was also constructed illegally almost 20 years ago. 

The bridge replaces a concrete dam place there illegally some 20 years ago. Photo: Moviment Graffitti

“If these works are being carried out to rectify past abuses, why are they not being carried out in cooperation with the environmental authority as required by law? One is also bound to ask why the Planning Authority has failed to take any action and why Infrastructure Malta has chosen not to cooperate with ERA and has carried on with this flagrant abuse in broad daylight,” the group said.