Venice: Even with the Lagoon Barrier is still destined to Sink

[PeterRS]

I will never forget my first visit to this extraordinary and stunning city. It was a three-day week-end in a goriously sunny October in 1978. Since then I have returned three times, twice with my bf of the day. Once with a Thai friend was in 1991 on a trip which we started in Grindelwald in Switzerland at the foot of the famous Jungfraujoch cable railway that takes you well above the snowline. We then drove over the Alps for a night by Lake Garda before three days in Venice where we enjoyed great weather, before driving over the amazing Dolomites to Salzburg, Munich then Zurich and home. The second was more recently in 2003 with my Taiwan bf when unfortunately we hit the period for high tides coupled with heavy rains. The day after our arrival St. Mark's Square was flooded and we had to crawl with other tourists along the raised platforms. Yet both young men showed the same sense of joy and wonder.

St. Mark's Square in August 2001

St. Mark's Square in October 2003

A colonnade at the side of St. Mark's Square in December 2020

Venice has been slowly sinking for centuries. It's partly due to the piling of the buildings and the city's substructure. But it is only relatively recently that the city has seen regular virtually annual flooding. It was not supposed to be like this. As illustrated in an excellent article on today's BBC website, the lagoon barrier (name Mose - Experimental Electromechanical Module) was supposed to stop flooding from the sea. Conceived in 1991, as a result largely of Italy's labyrinthine politics, work was not even started until 2003 and was supposed to be completed by 2011. It is hoped - hoped - it will finally be ready by the end of next year.

Sadly, with rising sea levels it may already be almost out of date. The gates will not be raised until there is a sea water rise of 110 cms. St. Mark's Square floods at a level of 90 cms. Each time Mose is put into operation it will cost the city over US$300,000! As bad if not worse than the flooding has been the effect of the wake of the motor boats which ply the Grand Canal and which has adversely affected 60% of the buildings.

Part of the Grand Canal

Three mildly positive issues are that since last year the port for the mega cruise ships which had frequently dwarfed St. Mark's Square was moved away from the city. Also from next year a daily charge of €5 will be levied on tourists. A limit will also be placed on the number of daily tourists which until recently outnumbered locals by 100:1 over the course of a year.

Will Venice still be around in 100 years? It will be desperately sad for future generations if it sinks below the waves. 

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20220927-italys-plan-to-save-venice-from-sinking

Photos 4 and 5: copyright Getty Images from the BBC article