The Nationalist Party has condemned the "amateurish management" of the picnic area in Ta' Qali.

In a statement on Tuesday, the PN said water bowsers had been sent overnight in what it called a "desperate attempt" to water the gravel "following the damage caused by the gravel covering".

The Opposition called for immediate action and said that Jason Micallef "should set aside his arrogance and take steps to restore this area", which it said is an area cherished by families and which should be a green, natural, and safe space.

PN MPs Rebekah Borg and Stanley Zammit said that Monday night saw "yet another act of desperation as water bowsers were sent to water the gravel under the cover of darkness". They remarked that Prime Minister Abela's special delegate "apparently was not convinced that the rain alone would be enough to grow grass through the layers of gravel that have covered what used to be a natural green carpet".

The MPs commented that instead of heeding criticism from the public and experts, Micallef responded "in the only way he knows how, confrontationally and vindictively".

They said that the only remaining green patches in the area are those spots left without gravel, as they said that the grass has not grown back after the interventions carried out.

They remarked that this is not an isolated case, adding that the Ta' Qali picnic area "has become emblematic of the Labour Government's destructive approach to the environment," with "projects carried out under the pretext of improvement... In practice leaving behind only the devastation and destruction of natural spaces and their character".

Borg and Zammit said that the interventions and structures built on-site were carried out without the required permits, and added that the Planning Authority application is still in the screening stage and that no public consultation has taken place regarding the material used to cover the soil or the additional structures. The Opposition concluded by stating that the government cannot invoke recent changes to the Development Notification Order to justify this, "as these structures were built months before the legal notice came into force".