Geologists say metro without recognised geological profession is a 'high-stakes gamble'

The Malta Chamber of Geologists (MCG) insisted that proceeding with a multi-billion-euro mass transport project without a recognised geological profession is a “high-stakes gamble.”

In a statement released on Monday, the MCG addressed the recently announced plans for a light railway system featuring underground segments.

“While the initiative represents ambitious solutions to Malta’s traffic congestion, the Chamber of Geologists raised concern about a shared, formidable obstacle: geological uncertainty.”

“The government is putting the cart before the horse,” they said.

They added that the public inquiry into the death of Jean Paul Sofia explicitly recommended that all excavation works be preceded by a geologist’s report. 

However, they noted that this recommendation remains ignored by the government.

The MCG pointed out that Malta remains the only EU member state without a National Geological Service, despite the complexity of these projects.

They insisted that Malta’s current legislation remains dangerously inadequate, unlike neighbouring countries, where the input of geological experts is a mandatory prerequisite, while local regulations fail to ensure that a geological model of the site is known before the rock is disturbed.

Without a legal framework for the profession and a centralised authority for geology, these mass transport proposals remain mired in technical and financial risk, they explained.

“For these mass transport proposals to move from vision to reality, the recognition of the profession by means of a warrant is not just a preference, it is a prerequisite.”

The MCG said that they have forwarded a draft legislation to the government on the recognition of the geologist profession but has not yet received a response.