Will crash together if no solution is found

New Bid on Rescue: Pump Water Under City

In the middle of the pressed situation, a new plan emerges. According to Pietro Teatini, associate professor of hydrology and water building, a much more radical approach is needed. He suggests pumping water into the underground below the city to physically raise all of Venice by about 30 centimeters.

The goal is to give Venice a new temporary deadline where the barriers and the city can work in Tandem until a permanent solution can be developed. A method that, according to Teatini, can make Venice resist the sea’s advance for decades.

« We can say that we have 50 years ahead of us, including the life of the barrier, to develop a new strategy. We need to develop a much more drastic project, » says Teatini.

Old mistakes, new challenges

However, the story has shown that Venice does not withstand many experiments. In the 1960s and 1970s, groundwater was pumped up from the mainland at Marghera, which resulted in further sinking of the area – from 1950 to 1970 the city center sank by almost five centimeters.

Now the situation is further pushed by climate change. Venice still sinks about two millimeters a year, while the tide also increases by about five millimeters a year.

Teatini’s proposal is therefore a fight against time. An attempt to give the city a breath before the forces of nature make it impossible to save the lagoon town, millions around the world consider one of the crown jewels of civilization.