First flood protection test for Venice (video)

Over the past years, flooding in Venice has been a common problem for the city, its buildings and the residents’ activities. MOSE (Experimental Electromechanical Module) project was selected as a solution to this problem.

According to the project, large movable barriers are placed on the bottom of the sea, fixed to massive concrete bases, in three different entries of the Venice lagoon. The barriers will be full of water and will remain in the seabed in normal tidal conditions. In case of high tide, compressed air will enter the barriers’ cavities followed by expulsion of water and the gates will rise. As a result, a different sea level will be created between the Adriatic Sea and the Venice lagoon, protecting the city from flooding. The first operation test, rising four floodgates out of the water, was conducted with success. Overall 78 barriers of 300 tonnes weight each will be used after the completion of the project. The gates are scheduled to be operational by 2016 with the appropriate funding, according to a government minister’s statement.

See the embedded video under ''Media'' below this article.

Source: BBC News, The Telegraph, wikipedia