While acknowledging that maintenance work is needed at Wied il-Kbir after the watercourse was blocked with debris and inert material carried down the valley during the winter rains, the NGO is adamant that such work is undertaken in full consideration of the ecology and sensitivity of the area.

Ecological areas deserve the same scrutiny and attention that is applied to work on historical heritage, for instance, since such habitats, once lost, are difficult to recover.

The NGO has asked Mepa for information as to what conditions were set for such work to be carried out but to date it has not received confirmation that any such conditions were asked for.

Nature Trust is adamant that adequate studies are carried out prior to such work and monitoring by Mepa undertaken once permits are approved.

The valley bed has been repeatedly degraded over the years because of countless similar interventions. Nature Trust urges for real rehabilitation work, including the removal of roads on the valley bed and the planting of suitable vegetation to reduce erosion, at Wied il-Kbir.