After decades of controversy and construction delays, the new lock system has finally passed its first test in Venice.
Flood in Venice
Each year, the “acqua alta”, or flood of the Venetian lagoon, floods the streets of the city to a depth of several tens of centimeters. But this year, after installing 78 gates, the water was contained.
“Not a single puddle appeared in Piazza San Marco,” said Alvise Papa, director of Venice's tide-tracking department.
The locks have been tested several times over the summer, but this weekend's decisive test was the first test of strength in hazardous weather.
Venice's strip of locks
According to CNN, this was the first successful attempt to contain the flow of water in more than 1,200 years.
The Venetian lock system, called the “MOSE Project”, was developed about forty years ago, and the actual construction began in 2003. But the good intentions of the project were overshadowed by a series of corruption cases, cost overruns and resistance from environmental organizations. The project became notorious for a bribery scandal in 2014 that resulted in the arrest of the then mayor of Venice and dozens of politicians and businessmen.
How Venice's locks work
Venice's security locks
Safety locks, Venice
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Last year, the “acqua alta” flood flooded Venice to a depth of more than 1.5 meters and caused damage to the city's historical sights. Among them was the Basilica of San Marco, the damage to which cost a large sum of about 5.5 million dollars. To protect the basilica from the coming flood, the city authorities considered installing a meter-long glass barrier in the main square.
Even though all the gateways have already been installed, there is a final project infrastructure that is still waiting to be completed. The plan is to be completed in December 2021. After completion of the work, the locks will be activated whenever the water level in the lagoon exceeds 1 meter. Until then, gates will only be used for tides over 1.2 meters.
“We discovered the problem and gradually, step by step, we were able to solve it,” says Giuseppe Fiengo, member of the project committee. “The most important thing is that today, for the first time in a flood, Venice was not flooded.”
While many praise the new gateways, critics say they will not withstand the effects of climate change and global warming. Rising sea levels could close the locks for 150 or more days a year, which could turn the Venetian Lagoon into a stagnant swamp.
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