Venice's MOSE flood-barrier system
passed a key test Friday.
For the first time, the 78 mobile dams swung into action at once
separating the Venetian lagoon from the sea.
They sealed off the lagoon's three port mouths.
The dress rehearsal for MOSE's use was kicked off by Premier
Giuseppe Conte, who pushed the button.
"We're not here for photoshoots but to verify, as a government,
whether MOSE works," he said.
Conte said the government would now be "even more focused" on
MOSE, which he said "must be completed by the coming
autumn-winter".
Environmental groups and activists against cruise liners waged a
sort of naval warfare with police boats while the ceremony took
place.
MOSE is scheduled for final completion by the end of next year.
The long-awaited scheme is aimed at protecting Venice from the
acqua alta floods which have become worse in recent years.
St Mark's Basilica and other iconic buildings were damaged in
the last particularly high acqua alta last autumn.
MOSE stands for MOdulo Sperimentale Elettromeccanico, or
Experimental Electromechanical Module.
Mose is also the Italian name for the Biblical hero who
separated the waters of the Red Sea to let the Israelites escape
from Egypt.
The project is an integrated system consisting of rows of mobile
gates installed at the Lido, Malamocco, and Chioggia inlets that
are able to isolate the Venetian Lagoon temporarily from the
Adriatic Sea during acqua alta high tides.
Together with other measures, such as coastal reinforcement, the
raising of quaysides, and the paving and improvement of the
lagoon, MOSE is designed to protect Venice and the lagoon from
tides of up to 3 metres (9.8 ft).
The Consorzio Venezia Nuova is responsible for the work on
behalf of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport. and the
Venice Water Authority.
Construction began simultaneously in 2003 at all three lagoon
inlets.
Multiple delays, cost overruns, and scandals resulted in the
project missing its original 2018 completion deadline.
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