Flooding
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Venice’s site is problematic. The mud flats on which the city was built are sinking as a result of rising tides in the Adriatic Sea and city planning fiascos. The high tide or aqua alta has risen at least 25 centimeters in the last century. Aqua alta occurs almost three fourths of the year, flooding the canals, the streets, and the campos. The increasingly polluted canals prevent the high tide from flowing through them. The worst and most memorable case of aqua alta was on November 4, 1966. Flood waters over four feet deep submerged all of Venice for an entire day. The systematic draining of topsoil from 1950-1970 that caused the actual island to sink almost 2.5 inches per decade, exacerbates the effects of aqua alta. |
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Flooding causes numerous problems within the city. The mainly water based transportation is inhibited: boats cannot get under bridges and the streets are washed away. Temporary, wooden plank sidewalks are erected throughout the city on days of aqua alta. Flooding affects not only the residents, but the tourists as well. Not many are willing to venture out in overshoes to see the Piazzo San Marco which they cannot even enter because of the high water. Aqua alta also weakens the foundations of the already deteriorating buildings. |
Temporary walkways (Go Europe) |
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Flooded
Piazza
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Several efforts are being made to prevent Venice from sinking into the sea. UNESCO’s Project Venice and INSULA are both encouraging the new laws and methods to clean and dredge the canals, allowing more water to flow through them. The most extensive planning project designed to combat aqua alta is Project Moses, which would implant floodgates around the lagoon, preventing aqua alta from entering the city. |
