Apart from this, said Nature Trust, the fires were a potential hazard since the olive grove is close to the Enemalta Station.

The NGO said it appreciated the rapid intervention of the Enemalta Fire Section and of the Civil Protection Department and encouraged the general public to report such illegal misbehaviour on 122 or 199. Nature Trust also welcomed the decision to close the Enemalta fuel storage depot, which, it said, was uncomfortably close to the Birzebbuga residential area. Nature Trust said the depot had been in operation since 1919 and had caused seepage of fuel into the rock and into the nearby sea. The NGO welcomed the plans to decontaminate and rehabilitate the area once the facility is closed down some time between 2005 and 2007.

However, Nature Trust objected to the possible relocation of the storage tanks at Has-Saptan Valley, also in Birzebbuga. “Has-Saptan Valley is a green area that should be cherished and conserved for the benefit of all Birzebbuga residents. It has wide pears and an olive grove, which was planted 40 years ago, and by virtue of the Trees and Woodlands Protection Act this olive grove qualifies the area as a nature reserve,” said Nature Trust.