For those who really love Malta it is becoming a heartache to see how our country is crumbling to pieces from a lack of planning and enforcement. A quite country walk, which for many is a weekly ritual, soon fill nature-lovers with despair and frustration.

Indeed, one invariably comes across illegalities that seem to be perpetuated with such crass freedom that you start to think that they take place with the blessing of the authorities. Only recently, during a country walk from Tal-Virtù towards Buskett, I came across several illegalities that seem to be becoming more and more prevalent.

It seems that contractors have found yet another way of illegally dumping construction waste without paying for its disposal. What we have observed in this particular area and elsewhere is that building contractors are removing the soil cover, dumping their construction waste and covering up with soil again on tracts of cultivated land which they acquired.

This may look like an innocuous practice but it is not. When the field surface level is raised, it exposes the soil to more erosion and crops are adversely affected by wind. Retaining walls also often cannot take the extra weight after heavy rainfall, leading to further encroachment and soil loss.  Crucially, the soil also loses its original properties. 

Working the soil with machinery, especially when it is wet, destroys its structure to the point that it will not support good growth when and if it is planted. 

This also becomes a problem especially if the soil depth is severely reduced as is bound to happen in these instances since deep ploughing becomes impossible as this tends to raise rocks to the surface and damages machinery. Returning the soil to its original structure and productivity becomes a long-term process.

Such a practice, therefore, is to be condemned. 

Since such a drastic development requires planning permission, we looked for it but there was no sign of a Planning Authority (PA) permit. Our conclusion is that this is yet another illegality. Apart from the PA permit requirements, the Environment and Resources Authority (ERA) also comes into the equation as this is an environment and resources issue and any movement of soil also needs permission from the Department of Agriculture.

When such blatant infringements take place without as much as an enforcement notice being prominently and publicly posted, one has to conclude that this is being condoned by the authorities. 

It seems contractors have found another way of illegally dumping construction waste- Joseph Buhagiar

I would like to make it clear that no farmer of sound mind would ever agree to do such a thing. Farmers are in their majority knowledgeable about soil practice and would never opt for such wholesale destruction.

I feel that the problem lies with the authorities, which, despite their empty talk about protecting the environment, either condone or close both eyes to such illegalities. In any another country where the authorities and citizens are proud of their environmental planning and upkeeping, such infringements are met with draconian measures.

What makes a nation great is not complacency, omertà and the free-for-all and do-as-you-please attitude that we have been experiencing for many years.  What make a nation great is that if you take the law into your own hands then you have to pay for such illegalities. 

I challenge the PA, ERA, the Department of Agriculture and their respective ministries to take action. The law has ample contingencies for this.  Seize the land in question and freeze the perpetrators’ assets. 

Only such a response will show that the authorities mean business. As things stand, the message being sent out is that taxpayers are supporting the authorities that are not fit for purpose. 

Joseph Buhagiar, associate professor, University of Malta, with a strong interest in environmental issues.