Malta’s soil loss is the highest in Europe
Malta has lost the highest percentage of soil for construction activity in Europe, new data has revealed.
Figures from Eurostat show that, by 2018, the island’s soil sealing rate was 18 percent of its total land area. Soil sealing is soil covered with artificial and impenetrable surfaces such as asphalt or concrete, which is irreversible.
The second highest rate was recorded in the Netherlands although it was still noticeably lower than in Malta by about eight percent.
Malta’s figure is significantly higher than the EU average, which, in 2018, was less than two percent.
The second highest rate was recorded in the Netherlands although it was still significantly lower than in Malta by about eight percent.
The figures come from a report on the Sustainable Development Goals published by Eurostat, the EU’s statistical office.
More than a quarter of Malta’s surface is built
Given that the rate is calculated as a percentage of the total land area, as it is the smallest state in the EU, Malta can be said to be at a disadvantage. Other countries, much larger than Malta, tend to have a vast expanse of untouched land.
The problem of Malta’s soil depletion was highlighted by the EU more than a decade ago in a report focusing on soil sealing.
At the time, the EU described the island as “under extreme pressure” for land use but praised Malta for its efforts to ensure that fewer buildings were built on virgin or usable soil resources.
According to Eurostat, more than a quarter of Malta’s surface is built, the highest figure in Europe.
In the first quarter of 2022 alone, 609 building permits were approved for a total of 3,203 new homes, 25 percent over the same period last year.
A spokesman for the environment ministry noted that the highest sealing rates occurred in small, densely populated countries.
He said the ministry is working to adopt mitigation measures to ensure that this factor is taken into account in the projects.
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