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Activists in Kamp Emerġenza Ambjent together with Moviment Graffitti are today carrying out a non-violent direct action during a PA Board meeting that is set to approve yet another mega fuel station and shops on ODZ land, this time in Luqa. We are demanding that no applications for fuel stations on ODZ are processed until the policy review promised by the Environment Minister is carried out.

There are currently 14 applications for massive so-called petrol stations on ODZ land, four of which have already been approved. In total, these would take up an area more than five times the Floriana granaries . We believe that destroying all this natural and agricultural land for mega complexes that include petrol stations, in a country that is by far the most built up country in the EU, is pure madness and should be halted immediately.

The justification by the PA that the 2015 Fuel Service Station Policy, allowing petrol stations on ODZ land, is aimed at removing petrol stations from urban centres is just a lame excuse to justify the onslaught on Malta’s environment and quality of life that is making a few fat cats richer. To start with, the policy does not allow only the relocation of existing fuel stations, but also the construction of entirely new ones. Secondly, existing fuel stations in urban centres can be relocated to areas of containment that are neither urban centres nor natural/agricultural ODZ land. Thirdly, calling these structures ‘fuel stations’ is a misnomer since for their largest part they are shops, not fuel stations.

Apart from the ridiculous Fuel Service Station Policy, it is also disconcerting that the Board is completely ignoring environmental concerns when approving these stations. Whilst members such as the ERA Chairperson Prof. Victor Axiak and NGO representative Ms Annick Bonello have opposed and voted against these projects, the absolute majority of the Board completely ignored these objections and voted in favour of these developments. It is clear that the majority of the PA Board has a total disregard for the environment and our quality of life, and is instead a loyal servant of the interests of a few entrepreneurs.

The fact that the PA is bulldozing over people’s concerns to please a small class of developers is creating an environmental emergency in our country, threatening our future on this island. Thanks to the PA, our island is being transformed into an ugly, congested and lifeless rock. We cannot accept this and will continue carrying out non-violent direct actions to stop this madness.

KAMP EMERĠENZA AMBJENT
MOVIMENT GRAFFITTI

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Applikazzjonijiet għal pompi tal-petrol fuq ODZ m’għandhomx jiġu ipproċessati qabel ma jkun hemm reviżjoni tal-policy

Attivisti minn Kamp Emerġenza Ambjent flimkien mal-Moviment Graffitti illum qegħdin jagħmlu azzjoni diretta non-vjolenti waqt laqgħa tal-Bord tal-Awtorita’ tal-Ippjanar li waqtha x’aktarx se tkun approvata pompa tal-petrol enormi oħra ma dawk li diġa ġew approvati, flimkien ma’ numru ta’ ħwienet, din id-darba ġewwa Ħal-Luqa. Aħna qegħdin nesiġu li l-ebda applikazzjoni għall-pompi tal-petrol fuq art ODZ m’għandha tiġi ipproċessata qabel ma tkun reveduta l-policy kif kien imwiegħed mill-Ministru tal-Ambjent.

Fil-fatt bħalissa hemm 14-il applikazzjoni għall-hekk imsejħa pompi tal-petrol fuq art ODZ, b’4 minnhom ġa approvati. Kieku b’kollox dawn jieħdu spazju li huwa ikbar mill-fosos tal-Furjana għal ħames darbiet . Aħna nemmnu li l-qerda ta’ din l-art kollha naturali jew agrikola għal proġetti enormi bħal dawn li jinkludu pompi tal-petrol, f’pajjiż fejn hemm l-akbar konċentrazzjoni ta’ bini fl-UE, huwa ġenn u għandha tieqaf immedjatament.

Il-ġustifikazzjoni tal-Awtorita’ tal-Ippjanar li l-Fuel Service Station Policy, li tippermetti pompi tal-petrol fuq art ODZ, tfasslet biex jiġu mneħħija l-pompi tal-petrol minn żoni urbani, hija biss skuża bażwija biex jiġi iġġustifikat l-attakk bla rażan fuq l-ambjent u l-kwalita’ tal-ħajja tagħna li qed iħaxxen il-bwiet ta’ erba’ min-nies. Nibdew biex, il-policy ma tippermettix biss iċ-ċaqliq ta’ pompi tal-petrol eżistenti, imma wkoll il-bini ta’ oħrajn ġodda. It-tieni nett, pompi tal-petrol li diġa jeżistu f’inħawi mibnija jistgħu jiġu rilokati f’’areas of containment’ li la jkunu urbani u lanqas art ODZ naturali jew agrikola. It-tielet, li dawn l-istrutturi jiġu msejħa pompi tal-petrol hija ħaġa qarrieqa għaliex fil-parti l-kbira tagħhom dawn huma ħwienet mhux pompi tal-petrol.

Apparti din il-Fuel Service Station Policy redikola, huwa ta’ tħassib li l-Bord qiegħed jinjora kompletament l-interessi ambjentali meta japprova dawn l-istrutturi. Filwaqt li membri tal-Bord bħaċ-Chairperson tal-ERA, il-Professur Victor Axiak u r-rappreżentanta tal-NGOs, Ms Annick Bonello opponew u ivvutaw kontra dawn il-proġetti, il-maġġoranza assoluta tal-Bord injorat għal kollox dawn l-oġġezzjonijiet u ivvotat favur dan l-iżvilupp. Huwa ċar li l-maġġoranza tal-Bord tal-PA la jimpurtaha mill-ambjent u lanqas mill-kwalita’ tal-għixien, imma moħħha biss biex taqdi l-interessi ta’ ftit imprendituri.

Il-fatt li l-PA qegħda tgħaddi qisha gaffa minn fuq l-interessi tal-poplu biex tintgħoġob minn klassi żgħira ta’ żviluppaturi qed toħloq emerġenza ambjentali f’pajjiżna li qegħda thedded il-futur tagħna fuq gżiritna. Minħabba l-PA, Malta qegħda tinbidel fi blata mifqugħa bil-bini, kerha u bla ħajja. Aħna ma nistgħux naċċettaw dan u ħa nibqgħu nagħmlu dawn l-azzjonijiet diretti non-vjolenti biex inwaqqfu din il-ġennata.

KAMP EMERĠENZA AMBJENT
MOVIMENT GRAFFITTI