Stagnant Water Crisis Deepens Following Glacier's Collapse - Flooding due to Melting Glacier: The Predicament Worsens Over Time
Disaster in the Swiss Alps: Rising Water Levels After Glacier Collapse
The aftermath of a glacier collapse in Switzerland's Lötschental valley is worsening, as the Lonza riverbed is blocked, leading to the formation of a rapidly growing lake. Authorities reported that the water level surged intermittently by up to three meters per hour, although the rate has since slowed.
The lake's expansion poses the risk of overflowing in the early morning hours, according to Christian Studer of the Natural Hazards Service. Specialists are working round-the-clock to predict potential outcomes using experience and computer models.
While a massive wave or debris avalanche is unlikely, the inflowing water from the Lonza could cause the lake to suddenly breach the debris pile due to increased pressure. Temperatures of 20 degrees are forecasted for Friday at the top of the valley, potentially accelerating the melting of snow and increasing water volumes.
According to Studer, a slower outflow scenario is more probable, with the lake gradually emptying over time. The gentle slope of the debris cone, he added, could aid in this controlled drainage. The water may even wash away the deposited material and carry it downstream, although experts anticipate that this would not result in a large volume of debris moving at once. The village of Ferden, located downstream, has a reservoir and dam, which experts believe will halt all the material.
Still, the situation on the mountain remains precarious. Hunderds of thousands of cubic meters of rock could fall from the Kleines Nesthorn, potentially impacting the Birsch glacier, which itself could collapse. Rockslides are now threatened on the opposite side of the valley, but the stability of the debris pile remains uncertain due to the presence of ice that may create water pockets.
Local authorities have yet to determine the safety of entering the area for army clearance teams. Beat Rieder, a member of Parliament from a neighboring village, referred to the disaster as a century-old catastrophe. Drone footage revealed that a significant portion of the village of Blatten was buried under a meter-high layer of debris. Most houses initially spared have since been flooded by the Lonza, although authorities managed to evacuate the approximately 300 inhabitants last week. The hamlet of Ried, only one kilometer before Blatten, is also affected.
Jan Beutel, a professor at the University of Innsbruck, noted that attributing a single event to climate change is challenging, but changes in high mountain regions like Switzerland's Alps are mainly due to decades of climate change. Glacier melt and rapid snowmelt could erode rock through water and wind, while thawing permafrost provides more liquid water, which lubricates and promotes mobility driven by gravity.
- The community is in desperate need of aid, as the less favored regions of the Swiss Alps face the challenges posed by climate change, including glacier collapse, rising water levels, and increased risk of flooding.
- To help mitigate the impacts of this disaster, aid could be directed towards scientific research on health-and-wellness, climate change, and environmental science, to better understand and predict the effects of such events in the future.
