PD denounces illegal dumping in Siggiewi quarry

The Democratic Party has condemned the dumping of construction waste in a quarry in the vicinity of Ghar Lapsi in the limits of Siggiewi, saying this showed the government’s lack of “unconditional commitment to put in practice its own policies and the general weakness of the rule of law under this administration.”

PD said that the waste was being disposed of outside the remit of permit to fill in the disused quarry, comparing this lack of enforcement of relevant laws to similar dumping situations in a disused quarry in Qrendi in 2016 and in other places.

“The owners of the Siggiewi quarry are not only dumping within its confines but are also using adjacent country side as dumping ground. The damage to flora, in particular the protected species of thyme, is punishable by law - but in the case of illegal dumping, no justice is called for or applied,” PD said.

“This is selective lack of enforcement. PD calls for stronger enforcement in Malta across all sectors, and the application of all laws and policies governing Malta's environment and natural heritage, as all too often most are simply ignored.”

The party emphasised that if the Planning Authority lacked the human resources to cover the permits it was granting, then it was high time the administration did something about such a situation.

“If PA is using policies in an anti-legal manner or selectively closing an eye than this is not only shameful but calls for restructuring and a change in attitude,” it said, adding that while it empathised with the use of quarries as landfills, it also recognised their potential ecological importance - as was the case with Wied Ghonmor and Bulebel - which had to be protected from overdevelopment.