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For Venice, this was a weekend to go down in history and one that Venetians will not forget for a long time. There is renewed hope and relief after the MOSE floodgate system first kicked in to protect the city from flooding at high tide.
On Saturday morning, the long-delayed 78 bright yellow flood barriers of the ‘Mose’ project were lifted from the seabed for the first time during a high tide to prevent the water, driven by a strong wind scirocco, flood the lagoon. and the city.
It took more than an hour and a team of 100 technicians to lift all the barriers, but the operation was a great success.
This delighted Venetians and tourists who were able to continue walking through a dry St. Mark’s Square and Basilica without resorting to elevated walkways that had been laid out when experts forecast a 130-centimeter tide.
The Mayor of Venice, Luigi Brugnaro, was excited and more than happy to express his satisfaction with the success of the Mose system.
“Everything is dry today. We stopped the sea,” he said enthusiastically.
Climate change linked to rising sea levels
Last November, Venice witnessed a 187-centimeter high tide, the second highest of this century, which caused significant damage to the city and its spectacular buildings.
Experts warned that climate change and rising sea levels have brought an increased frequency of high tides to Venice and that putting the flood barriers into operation was urgent.
Work on the system has accelerated, and while all barriers have been installed, some infrastructure has yet to be completed.
The 1.5 kilometers of the Mose system were designed in the 1980s to protect this extraordinary and unique lagoon city from tides of up to 3 meters, which far exceeds current records.
Work began in 2003 on the system of mobile barriers now found at the entrances to Lido, Malamocco and Chioggia, the three gates of the coastal cordon through which the tide runs from the Adriatic Sea to the Venetian lagoon.
When the barriers are raised, the entire lagoon is isolated from the sea and protected from high tidal events. When the barriers are inactive, they are invisible as they are filled with water and are at the bottom of the sea.
Reference to the biblical division of the waters
To raise them, compressed air is introduced to empty them of the water, and they have been designed to remain above the water during high tide.
Mose is an acronym for ‘Modulo Sperimentale Elettromeccanico’, or ‘Experimental Electromechanical Module’, and refers to the biblical figure of Moses who parted the Red Sea to allow the Israelites to flee Egypt to safety.
Critics say the project is 10 years behind schedule due to scandals and corruption and that the costs have been exorbitant, three times its original budget.
But supporters say that the lifting of barriers to deal with Saturday’s high tide was the demonstration that when Italy wants to do things right, it is capable of doing it.
And Venice lovers are now delighted that this unique city, with all its art and culture, can be admired for many years to come.
