Community faces emptiness: "Site transformed into leaf collection point"
In Switzerland: Draining Water Eases Fears but Blatten Villagers Still Vigilant
Swiss Lötschental Valley
distressing news originating from Switzerland's Lötschental valley on Thursday. After a massive glacier collapse, the village of Blatten experienced extensive destruction. However, water that had been building up appears to be slowly draining, bringing some relief to the affected community.
During a press conference, the village's mayor, Matthias Bellwald, confirmed the destruction, stating, "Two days ago, the history of Blatten was wiped away." Residents have lost their belongings, and only what they were wearing or had stored in the cloud remains. The loss includes houses, bridges, hotels, and personal memorabilia. While this is somewhat reassuring, the situation remains precarious for many.
A working group is now being organized to plan the rebuilding of Blatten in the Lötschental valley. Nevertheless, the danger is not entirely eliminated, as it remains unwise to send people into the unstable debris cone area.
The scenario, while lessening, still poses a threat. The Natural Hazards Service in the Lötschental valley reported that the water is flowing through the more than two-kilometer-long debris cone that has blocked the Lonza riverbed since the glacier collapse. Fortunately, there are no signs that the water could drag debris with it, making an overflow less likely than it was in the morning hours.
Monitoring continues as experts keep a close watch on the situation. Flights, webcams, and measurements at the lake that formed due to the dammed Lonza river are being used to assess the level of the lake, the discharge volume, and ensure the debris cone remains stable. According to estimates, the volume of the deposited debris body is around nine million cubic meters. A third of the material could be ice from the Birsch glacier that collapsed.
Local authorities have been cautious, ensuring the safety of residents. The Canton of Wallis's geologist, Raphaël Mayoraz, confirmed that the risk of a catastrophe gradually decreases over time as the water slowly drains from the lake through the debris and rock masses, thereby reducing the risk of a sudden flood wave.
Meanwhile, residents in nearby villages, particularly Steg and Gampel, are keeping their belongings packed, ensuring they are prepared to evacuate at a moment's notice. In these villages, the danger further down the valley continues to decrease but remains a potential concern. Gampel and Steg are located around 20 kilometers below the buried village of Blatten and have taken measures to mitigate any potential risk, such as releasing water from a retention basin and building dams downstream of the debris and rock mountain.
The event in Lötschental serves as a stark reminder of the challenges faced by communities in glaciated mountain valleys in the face of climate-driven geological hazards. The spiraling consequences of climate change on Alpine glaciers continue to pose ongoing threats to the regions' residents and infrastructure.
Source: ntv.de, hul/dpa/AFP
- Switzerland
- Natural Disasters
- Glaciers
- In light of the ongoing situation in Blatten, the local community is drafting a new community policy that focuses on health-and-wellness, aiming to address the mental and physical well-being of its residents amidst the disaster recovery process.
- As the village rebuilds, the employment policy is being reevaluated to integrate job opportunities in environmental-science and science fields, particularly in the areas of climate-change research and monitoring to mitigate future geological hazards.
