Make Malta Green Again! Huge Wall With 27,600 Plants Erected Along Marsa-Ħamrun Bypass
Driving along the Marsa-Ħamrun Bypass has just become more pleasant after a green wall with 27,600 plants was erected this morning.
Covering a 350-metre concrete retaining wall, longer than the length of three football grounds, the vertical garden has given new life to one of the most traffic-heavy streets in the country.
The green wall’s structure was manufactured using eco-friendly, recyclable materials and specifically designed to reduce the risk of damage to the concrete retaining wall behind it. It also incorporates an automatic drip irrigation system connected to a reservoir built in the grounds of an adjacent school. Security cameras have also been installed in case of theft and vandalism.
Financed by Ambjent Malta, the project cost €650,000, which includes maintenance costs for at least five years. Weather permitting, all works will be ready next month.
Environment Minister Aaron Farrugia said this is just the start of plans to beautify urban areas across the country, referring to an upcoming scheme to incentivise green facades as well as major urban greening projects planned for Qormi, Ħamrun and Mosta.
“Green walls provide multiple benefits in urban areas. They serve as potential ecological stepping stones for insects and pollinators between rural and urban environments; reduce noise pollution, contribute to cooler micro-climates, reduce air pollution, and improve the experience of those who live and work in urban areas,” Farrugia said.
Transport Minister Ian Borg referred to other green projects financed by Infrastructure Malta.
“In the first two years of its existence, Infrastructure Malta planted 20,000 trees and this is the first vertical wall of its nature.”
What do you make of this project?
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