Mgarr councillors Paul Vella and Wistin Vella have taken it upon themselves to water 23 tumolo of tinder-dry woodland in their locality, possibly saving it from destruction.

“I noticed how dry the area had become, as the heat persisted the trees began to wilt, we needed to do something fast," Paul Vella, who is the mayor, said. 

The woodland, along Sir Harry Luke Street, is public land administered by the local council.

“We used over 100,000 litres of water in this area last week, and some of the trees are coming back to life. It may have been too late for others,"  he said.

He said that the area will continue to be monitored and if the heat persists and gets worse, the council will water it again. 

The gesture was first flagged by PN spokesperson Peter Agius, who described the councillors as environmental heroes.

Malta is currently suffering the third heatwave of the summer, with temperatures expecting to soar to a maximum of 42°C on Wednesday, before moderating to 35°C on Thursday and 32°C on Friday.

Farmers have reported substantial damage to their crops by the high temperatures.

The woodland area in Mġarr where over 100,000 litres of water was used to save dry and withered trees Photo: Peter Agius