A group of anonymous activists has published a video with footage of the only fully submerged cave in Malta, the little-known Għar Ħarq il-Ħammiem in St Julian’s, whose future is up in the air following plans to develop the former Villa Rosa and ITS sites. 

The one-minute video was uploaded today by ‘Keep Pembroke Green’, a Facebook page that was set up last summer in the wake of Chiswick’s plans to build a new school on virgin land. 

The video takes viewers to the entrance of the cave, which is located on private land, down the stairway and into the pitch black and beautiful cavern.  

Formed in the last Ice Age, the cave is as large as the Mosta dome, is composed of two chambers interconnected by a narrow tunnel, and is home to the rare albino shrimp. It has a maximum depth of 52 metres below sea level, and the water is freshwater at the surface and seawater in the deep.  

Photo: Niki Caruana 

Yet its long-term future has been rendered uncertain after the Planning Authority last week approved the development of a hotel, offices and villas on the St Julian’s-Pembroke site, including as much as seven metres inside the cave’s 30m buffer zone. 

The developers cited geological reports showing limited chainsaw excavation works can take place as close as within 15m of the cave, but environmental NGOs pointed to a 2015 geological survey by Peter Gatt which indicated the cave complex might extend over a larger area than currently believed. 

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Tim Diacono

Tim is interested in the rapid evolution of human society and is passionate about justice, human rights and cutting-edge political debates. You can follow him on Instagram or Twitter/X at @timdiacono or reach out to him at [email protected]