Venice Floods and the Controversial Moses Project

Posted by John Blatchford Jan 18, 2009

If you build a city at sea level you must expect to get wet from time to time!

Venice Flooding in 2005 and 2008

Venice has always experienced occasional floods, but serious inundations are now a regular phenomenon (watch one video of the flood in 2005, and another from 2008). Things are getting steadily worse, and if the city is to be saved the waters must be kept at bay.

Mose Project Dams to Stop Flooding

Enormous structures are being built on the seabed at the three points where water enters the lagoon from the Adriatic Sea (watch a video – in Italian – which shows details of mose the project). The barrier will rest on the sea floor until needed, then rise up to hold back the water when sea-level gets to a dangerous level. Ships will still be able to gain access to and from the lagoon through locks, and the flow of seawater will only be interrupted occasionally (the flow of water through the lagoon is essential for removing pollutants).

Financial and Ecological Costs of the Mose Project

Huge structures come at a huge cost. Some oppose the Mose (Modulo Sperimentale Elettromeccanico) project on purely financial grounds, while others point out that any interference with the natural flushing of the lagoon will lead to problems. Venice is an industrial centre, with all the associated pollution problems, as well as a World Class tourist attraction. Some worry about mercury levels, others about zinc (see ‘Venice Italy Mose Project and the Lagoon’) – while yet others point out that Venice has no sewage treatment and relies on the flow of water to keep the canals clean. Watch a video (again in Italian) which summarises the causes of concern.

Read also a ‘Times Online’ summary of the situation from 2007