Minister Stefan Zrinzo Azzopardi together with Parliamentary Secretary Chris Bonett announced five projects in which better systems will be created for the conservation and management of rainwater.
These projects will be carried out in the localities of Paola, Mosta, Marsaskala and Għajnsielem. The total funds allocated for these projects is over €2 million and will be partially financed by European funds, through the LIFE program.
The Energy and Water Agency will be in charge of coordinating the LIFE RBMP program, while the Department of Public Works will be in charge of planning and implementing a water infrastructure. The Minister for Public Works and Planning Stefan Zrinzo Azzopardi explained that these projects will be focusing primarily on the sustainability and conservation of ground water as there will be better water storage in the valleys, in gardens and open spaces. This water will be able to be used by the farmers for watering the fruit trees and vegetables and at the same time the flooding in the streets will be avoided. The Minister also mentioned how through this investment, open spaces will be given a better look, will be more sustainable and will be able to be used better by the public.
Parliamentary Secretary for European Funds Chris Bonett stressed how with the help of European Funds these projects will be able to be carried out, which are also part of the government’s work to continue increasing open spaces that lead to an improvement in quality of the life of the residents. “Through this investment and collaboration between various entities, we are changing spaces that are abandoned into spaces that can be enjoyed by everyone while conserving rainwater and seeing that it is used in a sustainable way,” said the Secretary
For the launch of these projects, the Mayor of Paola Dominic Grima and Engineer Andrew Vella, who is coordinating the projects on behalf of the Department of Public Works, were also present.
- Paola: A garden, which will be named after the former Member of Parliament Silvio Parnis, will be restored in a sustainable way, in collaboration with the Paola Local Council. A reservoir will be built to store rainwater for watering the trees and plants in the garden. The garden will also be equipped with equipment that can be used by children and an outdoor gym. With the aim of more people practicing sport, part of the project will be including a basketball court.
- Mosta: In the Għajn Mula Valley, in collaboration with Project Green, the restoration of the valley will take place, where it will be cleaned of silt and native trees and shrubs will be planted in it that are more suitable for the valley instead of those invasive. In total, around 200 trees will be planted. In addition, demolished rubble walls will be rebuilt.
- Marsaskala: In Wied il-Għajn, in collaboration with Project Green, cleaning will be done and invasive species will be removed. A total of 114 new trees of drought-tolerant species will be planted. This while the rain water will be stored to be used by the farmers.
- Ghajnsielem: In Pjazza ta’Dehra, Amabile Cauchi Garden will be modernized and an underground reservoir will be built to store water for irrigation. In addition, boreholes will be dug where rainwater will be collected from the roads, to avoid flooding in the area.
- Ghajnsielem: In the Simirat Valley, the water barrier (dams) will be cleaned from the waste and soil that has accumulated in them. In addition, invasive species will be removed and endemic trees will be planted in their place.
