Kercem Local Council has condemned the act of vandalism by persons unknown who dumped burnt oil in the pond at Ghadira ta’ San Raflu, Kercem.

The Council thanked the Civil Protection Department who have been on site to remove as much oil as possible and urged anyone who saw the incident take place, or knows who carried it out, to please contact the Local Council, even anonymously.

However, the ERA has said in a statement that the work by the CPD  to remove the used oil had failed. They had to tried to remove the oil with a material which absorbs certain liquids.

The ERA said that it is coordinating with CPD members, the Police, EcoGozo and other entities to determine the nature of the substance dumped in the water.

The Authority explained that, “L-Ghadira ta’ Sarraflu is a protected site under the Environment Protection Act, noting that the habitat type it supports – a freshwater pool, is a very rare occurrence across the islands.”

It added that “it is also one of the water bodies identified under the EU Water Framework Directive. It is a perennial water pool, with fluctuations in water level from wet to dry season. Such pools support ecosystems, which vary in composition depending on the water levels. These are of importance in view of the services they provide to the environment and humans.”

The Authority stated that “the dumping of material, including oil and fuel, into the natural environment leads to impacts of various kinds. In this case, impacts to the water body and on the sediment are certain, impacting the water quality and the ecosystems that this freshwater pool supports.”

“The level of contamination could be high, which hence would lead to significant impacts on the organisms and the ecology of the site overall, with the sediment also being contaminated.

” Such damage is not easy to reverse, and drastic measures might need to be taken so as to restore the water and sediment quality, allowing for the pool to sustain life in the long-term” the Authority said.

It stressed that “these processes are complex in nature, and it would be difficult to predict the time frames necessary for such.”

It went on to say that it is also conducting an operation to minimise the impact at Ghadira ta’ San Raflu, adding that it is “committed to see that the area returns to normal.”

It appealed to any persons who have information on this act of vandalism to phone on (+356) 22923500 or on 99210404. The Authority can also be contacted by by email on info@era.org.mt

Minister for Gozo Clint Camilleri said that such acts of vandalism, including the recent cutting of trees at Dwejra, are reprehensible and are intended to harm the natural environment.

He appealed to anyone who has information on these acts of vandalism to contact the Police.

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