Much ado was made about the barge that was blasted out of the water and sank in Balluta bay, and to some extent rightly so. However, I for one am more concerned with the blasting of centuries-old tended terraced fields high on the alta side of the valley which till a few weeks ago were still a lovely sight to behold.

It seems that environment NGOs could not muster enough support to come and march in this area (surely not through logistics such as lack of public transport seeing that recently they held a fund-raiser a little further along the same coast). More so as the developer was probably, for all I know, not a top official of the party in government. No smoke emitting picnics or caravans ever bothered residents in this area so again no such complaints were aired in the press.

As regards the local council, seeing that it has regaled the Nizla tal-Kirxa side of Balluta valley with those decorative, smelly skips, even when we had a heavy weight (in more ways than one) area more worthy, could one ever have hoped of any squeak of protest at the demolition of the last few remaining bit of fields? A local council praised no less by a regular newspaper letter writer who does not live within its confines, who knows, might have family who derived some benefit from it?

All this in a sea of official prattle about planting of trees, caring for nature, preserving the work done on rubble walls over long years (and the allocation of funds be they EU or from Malta’s budget). It seems that nothing about this rape of Balluta valley was mentioned in the pre-election blitz of propaganda from prospective and incumbent members of the very much now muzzled national Parliament, or the EU discussion shop. Naturally, my fault must lie with having discounted the whispers heard at pre-election parties of small-time developers seeking permits to join the big league and channel their retail profits into property and construction.

Could not this last piece of unspoilt country not been turned into a public garden along the lines of the once farmed fields at Exiles that were turned into Independence Gardens?

And I thought incumbents who contested more than one district might strive to bring similar public goods such as wholesome mini parks in this building-congested area that was once a seaside resort!

J. Bonett Balzan

SLIEMA