The Age Of Concrete: Gozo’s New Rubble Walls Raise Concerns Over Cement Use
It seems as though Malta is truly living in the age of concrete, as the majority of projects on this island tend to make use of the infamous material.
Photos sent to Lovin Malta taken in a long stretch of countryside between Għarb and San Lawrenz in Gozo depict new rubble walls being built, showing how they’re being filled with concrete on the inside.
The new rubble walls form part of a €2.2 million EU-funded restoration project that was announced by Gozo Minister Clint Camilleri in 2021.
Lovin Malta has already reported extensively on the issue last year, with a similar situation happening with the rubble walls in the area of Ramla Valley, also bringing about a question of whether EU funds were being frauded.
Speaking to Lovin Malta, the Gozo Ministry insisted that the method is in line with traditional techniques to build rubble walls.
“In the first stages of the construction process, a shallow trench is excavated, and a blinding layer of concrete is laid. This serves to provide a solid foundation and to level the base,” a representative for the Gozo Ministry told the newsroom.
“Whenever the bedrock is above the road level, as is shown in pictures one to three, the blinding layer is above road level, and this makes it more visible when compared to when it is laid in the trench (refer to photo 4),” they continued.
“This blinding layer is eventually covered when the front-facing wall starts being built. The back wall and the front wall are then built concurrently and the inside is infilled with small stones.”
“This is in line with the traditional technique. The pictures you are providing show the initial stage (foundations) of the construction process just described above,” they said.
“With regards to photo five, this shortcoming has already been reported during the routine inspections delivered by the Ministry official and the contractor is already formally instructed to rectify this,” they concluded.
Although the overall process following the laying of the foundation seems to be in line with the traditional method, traditionally built rubble walls did not include a blinding layer of concrete at the bottom.
Order of images linked to Gozo Ministry's reply
Maltese construction tends to favour concrete because of its durable properties, coupled with its cheapness and affordability as a material.
Activists continue to urge that Malta must move away from using concrete excessively, as it will continue to create flooding issues while also damaging the soil.
Have you ever encountered anything similar in Malta’s countryside? If yes, and you would like to speak about it, get in touch with [email protected]
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