Flimkien ghal Ambjent Ahjar, BirdLife Malta, Din l-Art Helwa, Ghawdix, Moviment Graffitti, Ramblers Association of Malta, Vuci Kollettiva and Wirt Ghawdex, are calling on the Prime Minister together with the Minister in charge of the Cultural Heritage “to intervene and stop the destruction” of archaeological remains in the immediate proximity of the Sta Verna archaeological site in Xaghra, Gozo.

The NGOs stated that this would enable the due studies and preserve remains in situ, as they are duly bound to do in line with the Cultural Heritage Act, the Council of Europe Landscape Convention and the Planning Act.

They said that the area surrounding the Sta Verna Temple is well known for its archaeological importance as it predates Ggantija Temples.

The NGOs pointed out that as stated in Chapter 445 of the Cultural Heritage Act, HERITAGE ACT:

(2) Every citizen of Malta as well as every person present in Malta shall have the duty of protecting cultural heritage… cultural heritage is an asset of irreplaceable spiritual, cultural, social and economic value… The duty to protect includes the duty to document, conserve, maintain, restore and includes the duty to intervene whenever deemed fit…”

They argued that “this law is being blatantly violated, not only by the developers of a Rationalisation site close to St Verna Temple, Xag?ra, but also by the authorities responsible for protecting our heritage.”

According to the NGOs, findings were only thoroughly investigated when FAA filed a report with the SCH after bones were spotted by residents. A pit on the site was full of bones, yet this did not feature in the monitor’s original report.

They said that “the fact that a concentration of bones, including bones scattered on the ramp at the entrance of the site, was confirmed by the monitoring archaeologist’s report only after FAA reported it on the 6th of April, debunks SCH claims that monitoring is effective, as precious world heritage is being destroyed.”

It was later confirmed in an SCH report, that human bones placed in a manner indicating that rituals took place were found in that site, however after the report was filed by FAA, the pile of soil and bones on the side, summarily disappeared, and do not feature in the SCH report.

The NGOs insisted that this constitutes “blatant destruction of our nation’s archaeological heritage. Removal of artefacts from their location by unauthorised persons before on-site study, is an irreparable loss of crucial information about the site’s history and its relationship to the surrounding landscape. Remains need to be examined on site to determine their precise age and to preserve the integrity of the original context.”

The FRAGSUS archaeological study declared that: “Santa Verna, which overlies an earlier Neolithic settlement, has revealed levels relating to the much earlier pre-temple cultural phases, which will provide firmer evidence for the earliest history of human occupation on the island,” said the NGOs.

They said that the SCH was asked whether it checked the material that was removed from site to analyse what was dumped but no answers were forthcoming. “It is clear that the site is not being duly studied as it should be and levels which are critical for such studies are being destroyed and bulldozed.”

NGOs went on to say that “in spite of all reports, work is still ongoing, even on sites where no permit has been approved, yet bulldozers are removing material from these sites daily, and archaeological features are being hidden or infilled. This is going on with total impunity, in spite of repeated reports, in an area known for its pre-temple settlement activity on the site dating to the Ghar Dalam and Skorba periods (c.5, 000-4,100 BC).”

The NGOs asked whether there were other important archaeological findings in the area, “due to indications that another tomb was found and is being kept secret. If this is the case, will it be destroyed too?”Furthermore, the NGOs have demanded the suspension of the application for stables in an outside development zone in the vicinity of Sta Verna Temple, which permit was issued on the basis of a false declaration by applicant, claiming that he owned the land while the land is government property.

The NGOs called on the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage “to take immediate action to stop the destruction through an Emergency Conservation Order (ECO) in order to carry out detailed studies of the area. Every effort should be made to recuperate what has been dumped and immediately halt further destruction of archaeological features and pottery, including a number of caves which are to be destroyed.”

They concluded by saying that, “this is not just Malta’s heritage, it is world heritage that is being lost!”

Photos: FAA

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