Cantons watching 336 Alpine sites for natural disasters
Avalanches, rockslides and mudslides like this one on the A2 motorway in January 2018, are becoming more common because of climate change.
Keystone
Swiss cantons are keeping 336 zones in the Alps under surveillance because of climate-change related risk, such as landslides, rock slides and mudslides, according to two Sunday newspapers.
Le Matin Dimanche and SonntagsZeitung say their investigation reveals for the first time “the extent of the surveillance and the number of critical locations under observation”.
Experts say soil and rock in the Alps is becoming more fragile because of climate change, meaning parts could slide off into the valleys causing considerable damage. This risk is heightened by extreme weather such as last week’s torrential rains.
The 336 slopes and rock faces are under surveillance because they could cause road and rail infrastructure to be cut off or destroy buildings, report the newspapers. Some sites are under 24-hour surveillance with radar, sensors equipped with GPS, cameras or lasers. Others are only examined periodically by geologists. Some places are equipped with automatic alarm systems.
Canton Bern has 131 sites under surveillance, situated mainly in ski resorts, the papers found. Canton Valais has 63 roads under observation, while in Graubünden 42 sites are classified as zones at risk. They include Bondo, where a massive mudslide in August 2017 killed eight people and partially buried the village.
Up to now, the sites under surveillance have not been known to the public, the newspapers say. Some cantons have refused to reveal what steps they have taken, saying they do not wish to spread fear, or that valuable surveillance equipment could be vandalised.
Now, however, the Federal Office for the Environment is demanding that the cantons publish a unified list. Within five years all the information will be online, the papers report.
Since 1946, 169 people have died in Switzerland because of landslides or rock slides.
Popular Stories
More
Life & Aging
Switzerland no longer wants to foot the bill for ‘suicide tourism’
As a Swiss Abroad, how do you feel about the emergence of more conservative family policies in some US states?
In recent years several US states have adopted more conservative policies on family issues, abortion and education. As a Swiss citizen living there, how do you view this development?
Swiss organisations unhappy with species protection funding
This content was published on
Swiss environmental organisations consider the financing plan adopted at the World Conference on Nature in Rome to be inadequate.
Swiss researchers make progress on malaria vaccine
This content was published on
A Swiss research team has come one step closer to developing an effective malaria vaccine. They have genetically modified the malaria parasite so that it cannot cause malaria.
Peace Prize launched to mark centenary of Locarno Treaties
This content was published on
To mark the 100th anniversary of the Locarno Treaties, the Swiss city of Locarno has launched a Peace Prize in collaboration with the Locarno Film Festival. This will be presented for the first time in August.
Swiss-built robot changes shape to adapt to terrain
This content was published on
Scientists at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL) have developed a bioinspired robot capable of changing shape according to its environment.
US-EU trade dispute will have no impact on Switzerland, says Swiss president
This content was published on
Switzerland will not suffer from the consequences of the looming trade dispute between the US and the EU, according to Karin Keller-Sutter.
US ends funding for four Swiss-run children’s aid projects
This content was published on
The United States has definitively ended its funding for four projects run by the children's aid organisation Terre des hommes.
This content was published on
The massive landslide that swept through Bondo, a small village in canton Graubünden, in August caused damage of around CHF41 million.
This content was published on
The north-south Gotthard road tunnel in southern Switzerland is currently closed due to a mudslide that hit the A2 motorway on Monday.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.