Friends of the Earth (Malta) together with Nature Trust (Malta), Flimkien ghal Ambjent Ahjar, Ramblers Association of Malta and BirdLife Malta call upon the Planning Appeals Board to reject the appeal lodged by the developer in connection with a new quarry being proposed at Wied Moqbol in Zurrieq. The application To relocate hardstone quarry (No9 & No2) from 'Hagar Qim' to 'Wied Moqbol' had been refused by MEPA in 2005. The proposal is in breach of the Structure Plan and is located next to a protected Special Area of Conservation - a proposed NATURA 2000 Site of Community Importance.
 
Environmental NGOs have in the past objected to this development also due to the continued lack of mitigation or restoration observed in a nearby quarry located on the cliffs which continues to create immense damage to the cliff face and to nesting seabirds and endemic / rare plants.


Wied Moqbol was identified as an Important Bird Area (IBA) of EU importance. This Important Bird Area was the only IBA site to be completely excluded from Special Protection Area (SPA) designation. The NGOs drew attention to the fact that by a strange coincidence, this quarry application coincides with the area that was left out of EU protection under SPA designation by MEPA.
 
This area along with the adjacent Hal-Far cliffs are the breeding-grounds of 500-800 pairs of Cory's Sheatrwaters (Calonectris diomedea) and 100-150 pairs of Yelkouan Shearwaters (Puffinus yelkouan). Malta hosts approximately 10% of the world population of Yelkouan Shearwaters for which reason EU Life funds have been sponsoring a conservation project run by BirdLife to protect these species at Rdum tal-Madonna. Other important breeding species in the area include the Blue Rock Thrush (Monticola soitarius) and Spectacled Warbler (Sylvia conspicillata)

Also, several complaints by residents as far as Benghajsa were received by NGOs due to vibrations causing structural damage to their homes due to the continuous blasts. The NGOs feel that residents have a right to a peaceful enjoyment of their homes (pacifiku pussess) while also reminding the authorities that stone dust is a primary trigger of respiratory ailments. Quarries like this one, operating with no measures to prevent the release of stone dust into the air and surroundings, are a grave threat to residents’ health.
 
The NGOs feel that the unsustainable nature of this development and the many permits granted in the past to quarries in the area should prove enough reason to refuse any more heavy impacts in the area.