During the years, the valley has been left in a state of abandonment primarily due to lack of cleaning and maintenance, poor accessibility and the dispersal of sewage which used to overflow into the area.

However, EU funds from the European Regional and Development Fund, acquired twice by the Għarb local council, have transformed the valley to its former natural beauty. It is now an additional attraction to a good number of tourists who visit the island, particularly during the less busy months.

In two separate EU funding programmes (2004-2006 and 20047-2013), the locality’s council was able to invest more than €600,000 to clean the valley’s basin, re-build falling bridges and rubble walls and reconstruct the roads leading to the area, making it much more accessible.

The areastretches more than two kilometres in the rural outskirts of Għarb. To increase accessibility new signs were installed indicating the best paths to enjoy the recreational area. Also, some four kilometres of dilapidated rubble walls, which give a unique characteristic to the place have been re-built, better conserving the soil in the nearby fields.

Kiosks and tourist booths were installed to serve two distinct purposes. Visitors could obtain information material about the valley and the flora and fauna inhabiting the area while the local council could start gathering more data about the number of visitors arriving in the valley, their nationality and particular interests.

This data gathering process was deemed important for prospects of investing further into the valley. The project completed in 2010 gave a completely new dimension and use to one of Gozo’s best kept secrets.

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