The Case Officer’s claim that “there are no particular concerns for the renewal of permit” contrasts sharply with the objections by Qala residents who have for years suffered the polluting traffic of heavy trucks passing through the narrow village streets instead of the bypass as stipulated in the quarry permit. Now that the permits are up for renewal, the trucks have overnight started respecting the permit conditions.
The Case Officer also claims that there are no pending enforcements, even though the site was rife with massive abuse. FAA asks whether this large-scale abuse has been cleared. Flimkien ghal Ambjent Ahjar is very skeptical about the imposition of permit conditions since in the past these have not been imposed, in spite of FAA providing evidence of abuse to the former MEPA Chairman.
The issuing of quarry permits requires the submission and assessment of extensive ecological, hydrological, heritage and geological reports, including an Environment Impact Assessment; we have been unable to trace any such reports on the MEPA website. Moreover we highlight the fact that the proposal to create an ecological/heritage park from Dahlet Qorrot to Hondoq ir-Rummien included part of the site to be affected by the quarry extension.
Files related to this case have gone missing – not the first time in controversial cases – and the Ta’ Muxi quarry has been operating abusively, without a valid permit, since 2010.
FAA points to the number of important permit conditions for the protection of heritage and prevention of pollution which have been annulled in the proposed permit.
FAA maintains that in the light of this quarry operator’s ongoing record of abuse, MEPA’s lack of commitment to take action over such abuse, and the impact thathis enormous, sprawling quarry has on the health and quality of life of Qala residents, these permits should be refused.