Adige River Floods and Dams: Response and Ongoing Risks
On the Adige River, the region continues to grapple with record floods, erosion, landslides, and fear. After a night spent by technicians from the Magistrato alle Acque and Civil Protection monitoring the critical points along the river’s course, yesterday in the Low Veronese area significant waves of exceptional character were still expected. The events are increasingly alarming, as the containment capacity of the embankments gradually decreases, although at least for the latest flood wave passing between Friday night and Saturday, Verona benefited from crucial assistance. The Adige-Garda Tunnel opening, which connects the river to the lake in the Rovereto-Torbole segment, was decided on Friday at 6 p.m. by the Civil Protection of the Autonomous Province of Trento. It allowed a discharge of 100 cubic meters per second of water, but more importantly, it broke the momentum of the flood thanks to turbulence caused in the Adige by the pipeline.
Interventions and effects on the flood
“Once again,” confirms Gianni Sambugaro, Hydraulic Officer of the Magistrato alle Acque, “the Garda Tunnel has proven to be a formidable safety valve capable of protecting not only the city of Verona but also the Lower Veronese from the waters of the Adige. This effect is achieved thanks to the water’s attraction capacity of the pipeline, which can disrupt the river’s descent.” If the overnight flood, undoubtedly the highest in recent days, passed without major damage—aside from worsening existing crisis situations such as breach of riverbank dikes and erosions of the riverbanks—the situation worsened during yesterday, mainly because incidents of uprooted and displaced trees from inside the riverbed increased gradually.
Critical situations and events in flooded areas
This situation is particularly concerning, as when trees are uprooted and carried away by the current, they also remove significant portions of bank soil, paving the way for water-induced erosion of the banks. The arrival of an additional flood wave late in the morning further intensified the weakening of the main embankment at Scardevara di Ronco all’Adige, and just downstream, more substantial landslides of the floodplain occurred, reducing the terrain by several meters in a matter of hours, causing the apple trees planted there to disappear row after row.
Emergency situations and authorities’ interventions
Meanwhile, the critical points at Porto di Legnago, Nichesola, and Begosso di Terrazzo experienced slow but steady deterioration, with continuous monitoring in place. “Both the Magistrato alle Acque and Civil Protection,” Sambugaro explained yesterday morning, “are ready to intervene if necessary. Unfortunately, the effects of ongoing weather conditions still need to be assessed. While we are managing this flood, it is still raining in Trentino. If this situation persists, we could face new water level rises tonight or on Sunday.”
Future outlook and ongoing risks
This same situation has been recurring for days, and the dangers are increasing as water flows downstream into ever-saturated basins. Containing the river with embankments is becoming increasingly problematic, as continuous rain and persistent pressure have weakened many points, reducing the strength of the embankments. Luca Fiorin