Momentum said that it has been refused access to information about cleaning and rehabilitation works carried out in valleys in Gozo, after the Ministry rejected its Freedom of Information request as ”too general.”
The request made in September [1], sought details of the locations and dates of the works, technical and environmental assessments, expert advice, machinery and methods used, the removal and disposal of materials, and inspection and monitoring reports.
In response to the statement [2], the Ministry for Gozo said that the valley rehabilitation works – addressing areas that in some cases had not been cleaned for decades – were carried out through ”formal and transparent processes.”
The works had been highlighted by Minister Clint Camilleri, who shared a video [3] showing works carried out during the summer.
The Party said that the Ministry argued that the request ”did not identify specific documents. However, Momentum suspects that the documents may not exist at all.”
Ms Graziella Spiteri, spokesperson of Momentum, said, “if the documents exist, the public deserves access to them in accordance with the law. If they do not, the public deserves an explanation as to why works affecting the natural environment were carried out without the relevant documentation.”
Momentum also raised wider concerns about ”whether the environment is being given the importance it deserves when public works are carried out. Was appropriate ecological expertise involved to protect biodiversity? Was any assessment made of the impact on native species? And is there a plan to prevent invasive alien plants from regrowing and spreading after the works?”
Ms Spiteri noted that ”while cleaning the valleys may have been necessary, removing vegetation and material is not enough. Proper rehabilitation requires a long-term approach that protects native biodiversity, monitors the ecological impact and prevents invasive alien species from returning. Momentum questions what measures, if any, are being taken to achieve these objectives.”
Graziella Spiteri concluded by saying that, rather than simply rejecting the request, the Ministry could have sought clarification and assisted in identifying the relevant records. Cleaning a valley should not simply mean clearing it out; it should mean protecting and restoring its natural environment for the future.
”The public deserves answers. Transparency must be the rule, not the exception.”
File photos: Momentum