DEVASTATING FLOODS have inundated Venice in what has been the worst flooding since 1966, but is Venice sinking? Reports have shown that the ice caps are melting at their fastest rate ever, and it is becoming a critical issue. If not, Venice's sinking may be another chapter in world history.The level to which Venice is sinking is now seen as critical. 3405. Some 30 million visitors arrive every year. November 15, 2019 at 12:46 PM EST. Rolling Cam Venice - The most beautiful Live Cam in Venice Italy I Love You Venice 389 watching Live now Venice floods: 70% of historic centre under water - Duration: 2:46.
This is a dramatic situation in a unique city and we must be there for it.”So, they dug hundreds of canals and bolstered the banks with wood pilings, using similar wood for foundations.The Adriatic plate is subjecting beneath the Apennines Mountains which in turn is causing Venice to sink slightly each year.The source, who remained anonymous, was confident that once operational, it could defend Venice from tides of up to 3 meters high, well beyond the current record.All 78 gates are now in place and engineers are working on the mechanics of raising them simultaneously once tides of more than 110 cm are forecast, with first testing expected next year.Pumping groundwater was ended, and studies in the 2000s appeared to show subsidence had stopped.The 2011 UNESCO report concluded: “The planned mobile barriers might be able to avoid flooding for the next few decades, but the sea will eventually rise to a level where even continuous closures will not be able to protect the city from flooding.”Many of the buildings in Venice today are still standing on 1,000-year-old wood.Venice was built on 118 islands which are located in the middle of the Venetian Lagoon in the Adriatic Sea in Northern Italy.Venice Mayor Luigi Brugnaro said: “If Mose had been working, then we would have avoided this exceptional high tide.”Regional governor Luca Zaia dubbed the flooding “an apocalyptic disaster” and said he was “horrified” by what he was seeing.The flood defence system is known as Mose, which is an acronym for ‘Modulo Sperimentale Elettromeccanico’ [Experimental Electromechanical Module].Years ago subsidence in Venice was recognised as a major problem, as scientists discovered pumping groundwater beneath the city as well as the ground compacting from centuries of building was causing the city to settle.Each year due to the tidal peaks in the Adriatic Sea, the Venetian Lagoon experiences flooding.The water reached 6.13 feet above sea level on Tuesday, the second-highest level ever recorded in the city.One man died on Pellestrina, one of the many islands which dot the Venetian lagoon, electrocuted while trying to pump water out of his house.
The bigger issue: Venice is sinking. A report here by the U.N.’s science and culture agency UNESCO says Mose was planned on a base scenario of sea levels in the northern Adriatic rising some 22 cm by 2100, but many scientists fear that assumption is far too optimistic.Raised platforms are in place for tourists wishing to see the historic lagoon, and museums have remained open despite the conditions.The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has not issued any travel warnings for tourists visiting Venice.Thousands of wooden piles were hammered into the mud before the tops were cut off to create solid platforms for their homes to sit atop.Regarding the flood defence system being finished soon, Mr Conte said: “We hope so, it is a work on which a lot of money has been spent and is in the final stages, now it must be completed and then maintained”.See today's front and back pages, download the newspaper,order back issues and use the historic Daily Expressnewspaper archive.Part of the submerged infrastructure has already started to rust and a source close to the consortium building the mobile dam told Reuters on Wednesday it would cost around €100 million (£85.60 million) a year to maintain — much higher than original estimates.However, there are already issues with the system.Each year between November and March Venice faces rampant flooding which locals call the “acqua volta” - however this year the levels reached record highs in the worst flooding since 1966.According to LiveScience Venice is sinking ever so slightly each year - with one study finding the city is tilting to the east.It refers to the biblical figure Moses who parted the Red Sea to enable the Israelites to flee to safety from Egypt.Mr Conte said to Venetians: “We are with you and we hope to prevent these dramatic situations from happening again.”The subsidence is thought to be caused by the movement of tectonic plates, in particular, the subduction of the Adriatic plate on which Venice lies.Millions of tourists visit Venice each year to take gondola rides through the canals and experience Italy’s floating city.Now Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte has said he hopes the flood defence method engineers are focused on will be completed by the spring of 2021.However, scientist monitored the elevation of Venice and the lagoons surrounding the city and found in 2012 on average the city is sinking by two millimetres each year.When settlers arrived in Venice around 402AD they searched for methods of increasing space and creating strong foundations.But some experts worry the system was not designed to deal with the sort of rising sea waters that recent climate-change models have predicted.These tidal peaks are due to several factors, including rain levels, rising sea levels, wind strengths and the movement and phase of the Moon.The modern-day Moses consists of 78 bright yellow mobile barriers buried in the water that, when activated, will rise above the surface and prevent surging tides from the Adriatic Sea flooding the delicate Venetian lagoon.As Venice regularly experiences flooding there are contingencies in place for those living and visiting the city.He said: “Full commitment with Venice.