Resettlement planning for Brienz GR "We won't go a third time"
The inhabitants of Brienz GR will have to leave the village by midday on Sunday, possibly for several months. An information evening informs the population about the details of the evacuation and closure of the village.
No time? blue News summarizes for you
- The residents of Brienz GR will have to leave their village for several months until Sunday.
- The village was evacuated for around 50 days back in spring 2023 due to the threat of a debris flow.
- Since the second half of September, around 1.2 million cubic meters of rock debris have been moving downhill at a rate of 20 to 35 centimetres per day in the scree slope high above Brienz.
"We're not going a third time," said a man from Brienz to the authorities in Tiefencastel GR on Tuesday evening. He was questioning the renewed evacuation. The village had already been evacuated for around 50 days in spring 2023 due to the threat of a debris flow. Back then, the immense masses of rock stopped just a few meters from the houses.
Now a similar situation is looming. Again, there are 1.2 million cubic meters of rubble. Only now there is more water in it. The rock avalanche could therefore slide faster and penetrate further into the village. According to the authorities, speeds of up to 80 kilometers per hour are possible. However, it is more likely that the debris will slide down slowly and remain in flatter terrain above the village.
Now it is simply too dangerous to stay in the village, said geologist Stefan Schneider. As there is also a threat of a change in the weather from next week, the evacuation cannot wait any longer. "You're not going for us, you're going for yourselves," said municipal president Daniel Albertin to those affected. The decision to evacuate was always based on the well-being of those affected.
The blasting question
"Why can't we just blow it up?" various people from Brienz kept asking. According to Andreas Huwiler from the Cantonal Office for Forests and Natural Hazards, it is simply not feasible.
Ten thousand ten to twenty meter deep boreholes with 360,000 kilograms of explosives would have to be drilled. This would be thirty times the weight of the Hiroshima bomb. This would probably trigger a landslide of devastating proportions.
It would also be too dangerous to blow up parts of the site. This could trigger an avalanche of debris that would destroy the village, Huwiler continued. Nevertheless, as a precautionary measure, contact had been made with a company specializing in this area.
The resettlement issue
In response to the imminent evacuation, the Graubünden government assured on Tuesday afternoon that it would continue to press ahead intensively with the resettlement planning. The municipality intends to present a location to those affected as early as November 20, according to municipality president Albertin in an interview with Keystone-SDA.
This site is also located in the municipality of Albula. Even knowing that it will not meet with the approval of all those affected, it is a ray of hope. Albertin promised that the municipality would also address financial issues related to the relocation during the presentation.
The alternative
If Brienz GR is not relocated, the drainage tunnel could help. The 2.3-kilometre-long tunnel below the village, which cost CHF 40 million, is intended to drain the land mass and thus reduce the pressure on the landslides. However, it will not be completed until the end of 2027.
Meanwhile, construction is progressing well, the authorities said on Tuesday evening. Work will continue even during the evacuation.