Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Mose
The hot topic of the last 30 years in Venice is a mobile flood barrier project known as Mose
(Modulo Sperimentale Elettromeccanico - Experimental Electromechanical Module). With
a planned completion date of 2014, these inflatable barriers 30m high and 20m wide are in-
tended to seal the three entrances to Venice's lagoon whenever the sea approaches danger-
ous levels. Ever since the great flood of 1966, many Unesco-affiliated organisations have
been urgently concerned about this jewel box of a city containing the world's great art
treasures, and Mose proponents say the city must be saved at any cost.
But what are the costs, exactly? Current estimates top €5 billion for what is described
even by its supporters as only a partial solution, since flooding is also caused by excessive
rain, run-off and swollen inland rivers. As many Venetians point out, the city is their home,
not just a treasure chest, and any stopgap measure must be considered for its public impact.
Would flood barriers fill the lagoon with stagnant water, creating public health risks and
driving away tourists? Could Mose change local aquaculture, and end fishing on the la-
goon? Will it delay solutions to underlying problems, in addition to diverting funds essen-
tial for city maintenance? Debates continue as Mose's completion date nears, despite nine
court appeals to halt its construction.
