Glacial collapse in Switzerland triggers flood warnings for additional communities - Flooding Alert Issued for Switzerland: Brace Yourself for Potential Inundation
Switzerland Braces for More Glacier-Induced Flooding
In the aftermath of a glacier collapse in the canton of Wallis, Swiss authorities have issued warnings for potential flooding in various locations. On Thursday, 16 residents were evacuated from Wiler and Kippel, two settlements downstream in the Lötschental valley. The neighbouring community of Blatten, however, suffered further devastation, with homes initially spared by the glacier collapse now submerged by the rising waters of the Lonza river.
The catastrophe occurred on Wednesday afternoon when a significant part of the Birch glacier collapsed, sending approximately three million cubic meters of rock and ice into the valley and onto the houses of Blatten. The village had been evacuated beforehand; unfortunately, a 64-year-old man remains missing.
Aside from the immediate impact, experts predict a more significant portion of the fallen mass will liquefy due to high temperatures, posing a risk of further flooding. Wallis State Councillor Stéphane Ganzer warned of a "worst-case scenario" that could affect the villages of Gampel and Steg. However, this likelihood is currently deemed extremely unlikely.
The landslide was anticipated for several days, as there had been an increase in glacier activity since the night of Tuesday to Wednesday. Blatten, with about 300 inhabitants, had already been evacuated the previous week.
The alarming incident underscores ongoing concerns about the shrinking and destabilization of Alpine glaciers due to climate change. In the past two years, Swiss glaciers have lost 10% of their mass—equivalent to the loss sustained between 1960 and 1990. The destruction wreaked by this collapse serves as a grim reminder of the risks associated with glacier instability.
Previous events, such as the major rockslide in the canton of Graubünden in 2017, have highlighted both the potential dangers and the necessity for prompt evacuation. Hundreds of thousands of cubic meters of rock and mud hit the village of Bondo, causing widespread destruction. Fortunately, no residents were injured, as Bondo had been evacuated beforehand.
[1] Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research (WSL), "Alpine glaciers are melting rapidly," press release, October 28, 2021, https://www.wsl.ch/en/newsroom/press-releases/alpine-glaciers-are-melting-rapidly.[2] Swiss Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN), "Alpine glaciers," factsheet, November 30, 2021, https://www.bafu.admin.ch/bafu/en/home/topics/water/alpine-glaciers.[3] Swisshelm, L. A., V+, "Glacier collapses, floods and ice avalanches: understanding the risks and implications of unstable Alpine glaciers," Swiss Re Institute, December 1, 2020, https://www.swissre.com/institute/en/knowledge/publications/2020/glacier-collapses-floods-and-ice-avalanches.html.
- The recent glacier collapse in Switzerland highlights the importance of environmental science, particularly in understanding climate-change effects on Alpine glaciers.
- As the community of Blatten grapples with the aftermath of the devastating glacier collapse, experts call for policies and legislation addressing the issue of climate-change-induced glacier instability.
- The ongoing policy-and-legislation discussions in the realm of environmental-science are significantly influenced by the general-news coverage of such catastrophic events, like the glacier collapse in Wallis, and their impacts on Swiss communities.
