Italy's Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has agreed that work
on an underwater dam to try to save the lagoon city of Venice
from floods will go ahead, despite increasing calls for it to be
halted because of environmental damage. Work on the project known
as Mose, Italian for Moses, began in 2003. Designers hope the
construction of underwater barriers will protect the fragile
canal city from the ravages of the sea. The project aims to
construct 78 flood barriers, 20 metres (65 feet) wide and up to
28 metres (92 feet) high, that will be fixed to the bed of the
sea at points where Venice's lagoon meets the Adriatic.
Venice's mayor Massimo Cacciari, supported by
environmentalists and Venetian elders, had asked Berlusconi to
consider other measures, arguing the barriers would cause as much
damage to Venice as they prevent. The World Wildlife Fund Italy
has said that shutting Venice's cargo port and barring cruise
liners from entering the lagoon would be more effective in
controlling the waters. There are also concerns about the cost of
the scheme.