Categories: Europe News

Venice flood barriers successfully tested

Venice flood barriers – designed to protect the Italian city from flooding during high tides – have been successfully tested for the first time.

Four large floodgates rose out of the water creating a temporary sea barrier.

Once completed, 78 mobile flood barriers will be raised from the seabed to shut off the lagoon in the event of rising sea levels and winter storms.

Venice suffers flooding on a yearly basis. In 1966, 80% of the city was flooded by high tides.

Construction on the barriers began 10 years ago but has been hampered by delays in funding due to Italy’s economic crisis.

Four large floodgates rose out of the water creating a temporary sea barrier

The Moses project has already cost more than $7 billion and is not expected to be completed for another two years.

Once finished, the floodgates will extend more than a mile, blocking the three inlets to the lagoon.

A government minister has promised funds to complete the scheme on time in 2016.

But the head of the construction consortium said they would need $800 million immediately, otherwise the jobs of some 4,000 construction workers would be at risk.

In 1966, some 5,000 people were left homeless when flood levels in the city reached 6ft causing immense damage.

Earlier this week, Venice saw its first high tide of the season, known as “acqua alta”.

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Nancy Clayson

Nancy is a young, full of life lady who joined the team shortly after the BelleNews site started to run. She is focused on bringing up to light all the latest news from the technology industry. In her opinion the hi-tech expresses the humanity intellectual level. Nancy is an active person; she enjoys sports and delights herself in doing gardening in her spare time, as well as reading, always searching for new topics for her articles.

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