More than €10 million in European funds are being invested in Gozo for the restoration of over 25 kilometres of rubble walls and 12 valleys, Gozo Minister Clint Camilleri and EU Funds Parliamentary Secretary Stefan Zrinzo Azzopardi said.

They were speaking in Triq l-Għadira in Kerċem, one of the sites where rubble walls are being restored and rebuilt.

Camilleri said the project is being carried out through the eco-Gozo directorate. He said that the walls being reconstructed are up to 4.5 kilometres in length with a height reaching over five metres. 

The project, he said, is one national importance, in view of the government’s commitment to transform Gozo into an ecological island and for its contribution to increasing the potential of the island’s rainwater.

Rubble walls preserve the soil, by acting like a sieve, letting rainwater flow through whlie holding back the soil. 

Zrinzo Azzopardi said the project will continue to preserve the Gozitan landscape while providing a better environment for farmers and the public. 

The project is being through the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development 2014-2020.