The environment needed much more serious and transparent management than at present, the Labour Party’s main spokesman for the environment and national heritage, Dr Joe Brincat, and Roderick Galdes, spokesman on the same subjects, said yesterday, referring to the environmental indicators for 2006, issued recently by the Malta Environment and Planning Authority.

Compared with the state of the environment report for 2005, the indicators showed marginal progress but in fact the country was facing considerable problems in implementing measures aimed to combat climate change, land management and soil quality.

There was also a negative situation relating to nitrates and chlorites in water. And Malta was far from implementing a sustainable and effective strategy in waste management. There was still not enough public financing accountability in the environmental sector.

The spokesmen said the government had acted too quickly in rationalising the development zones which could lead to much worse negative impacts than originally thought. Everyone, they added, should evaluate the environmental indicators.