Rock quality at Ghallis

I refer to the letter by the communications coordinator to Minister George Pullicino (July 17) regarding the site for the proposed landfill at Ghallis.

The minister's spokesman is incorrect and misleading the public when he states that the recent tests and an audit showing that Ghallis has poor quality rock "do not contradict earlier tests carried out as part of a mineral resources assessment of the Maltese islands".

In fact, these recent tests and audit contradict the minerals resources assessment report (1996) and also the minerals subject plan of 2001 because both these documents irrefutably indicate that the Ghallis area has good quality rock which should be safeguarded.

The Malta Environment and Planning Authority contradicted its own 2001 policy document in March when it presented the Minerals Board with a six-page report drawn up by the deputy chairman of the board that hastily concluded that Ghallis has poor quality rock. This report was rejected by the Minerals Board because it contained serious technical discrepancies that were pointed out by a long-serving technical member of the board.

Within days, the government inexplicably replaced this technical person. The Minerals Board was effectively deprived of the possibility of technical scrutiny of the recent audit mentioned by the ministry spokesman. This audit, "confirming" the government's claim that rock at Ghallis is of a poor quality, was carried out by a British company that was hand-picked without consultation!

The history of imposition on the Minerals Board points to manipulation that sows doubts on the integrity of Mepa and diminishes the minister's credibility.