Letters to the editor - September 16, 2022

Repercussions from construction

Recently, I happened to be chatting with a person from Gozo while at a gathering. Our conversation got around to the construction frenzy going on in Gozo with no apparent control or consideration of the depleting soil and environment.

His response shook me.

A development in Qala. Photo: Matthew Mirabelli

Though now retired, he happened to have been working in the construction business himself and, with a cheeky smile, he told me that the solution is not that easy. The reason is that there are no industries in Gozo and, with depleting interest in agriculture, the only solution to earn a living is through construction...

Now, if the Gozitans themselves are not seeing this as a serious problem, how can change happen and efforts be made to stop this madness?

Without soil, life is not sustainable and we are shooting ourselves in the foot. This applies to Malta too, after all.

Surely, one can exploit possibilities of sustaining oneself through teaching, catering, caring, the tourism professions, diving and sea sports, which Gozo can offer aplenty, to mention just a few.

The ongoing construction is only heading to annihilate Gozo’s very nature, scaring...