WATCH: Mġarr Fields Flooded And Damaged Due To Bad Road Planning, Farmers’ Association Warns
Farmers’ fields in Mġarr have been left damaged due to recent rains that waterlogged the area after the nearby roadworks caused water to build up. Each time it rains, the fields are invariably flooded, irreversibly damaging them.
“Works undertaken by a government entity a little while back in Mġarr is causing damage in local farmer’s fields – and this is happening because the water that used to travel in the street is now turning into the fields,” Għaqda Bdiewa Attivi said today alongside a video showing the extent of the water damage.
In the video, which shows a field prepared for strawberry plantlings that fortunately had not been planted yet, water can be seen falling from a nearby road into the fields covering large parts of the nearby environment.
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And this is not the first time this has happened, with the flooding occurring for over a year now, according to the group.
Fields flooded in 2019 as well
“The strawberries will be planted in the coming days and come next storm, the farmer will suffer extensive financial damages, both in terms of the direct impact on the plants themselves and on the yield that will decrease due to the plant’s battering,” Malcolm Borg, president of GĦBA, told Lovin Malta.
GĦBA will now be looking into legal alternatives to try to remedy the situation – but have called for roadworks in Malta, especially those in sensitive agricultural areas, to be planned better.
“We will continue to emphasise that when it comes to the planning of roads near fields, farmers must be informed with the plans immediately. No one knows the area as much as the farmer who has spent his life and time working there,” they ended.
What do you think of the situation Maltese farmers are facing?
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