Flood situation in Switzerland remains precarious despite calming down
Published: Thursday, Dec 14th 2023, 19:00
Updated At: Friday, Dec 15th 2023, 00:59
العودة إلى البث المباشر
Following the intense rainfall in Switzerland, the flood situation in some parts of the country calmed down to some extent on Thursday. In others, the water levels continued to rise. There was a particular risk of flooding on the southern shore of Lake Neuchâtel and near Champèry in Lower Valais.
The critical threshold is expected there on Saturday morning. The Vaud authorities prepared for flooding. Emergency services installed sandbags and other water barriers.
Lake Neuchâtel, which absorbs the excess water from Lake Biel, among other things, reached a level of 430.2 meters on Thursday morning at the Grandson measuring station on the north shore, around 20 centimeters more than the previous day. "We are now certain that the critical level of 430.6 meters will be reached on Saturday morning," Denis Froidevaux, head of the cantonal command staff of the canton of Vaud, told the Keystone-SDA news agency.
In order to make room for new precipitation, the Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN) has decided to increase the discharge from the practically full lakes of the Jura - together with the neighboring cantons of Lakes Biel, Murten and Neuchâtel and the Aare cantons below Lake Biel.
Tense situation in the canton of Berne
The flood situation remained tense in parts of the canton of Bern. The water levels remained at a high level. At 430.41 meters, the level of Lake Biel was six centimetres above the flood limit on Thursday morning.
The level has been stable since midday on Wednesday, according to figures from the Canton of Bern. According to the forecast, the water level should remain practically unchanged until Friday evening and then fall.
The values on Lake Thun and along the Aare also remained stable at a high level. Flooded riverside paths were still closed. In the city of Bern, flood protection measures, including Beaver hoses, are to remain in place over the weekend.
Meanwhile, the water level of the Rhine in Basel fell slightly. However, a partial closure of navigation is likely to last at least until Friday evening.
The situation in Sachseln OW eased somewhat. No further households had to be evacuated. Since midday on Wednesday, no further emergency services have had to be called out, said Knut Hackbarth, mayor of Sachseln, on request. The water level of Lake Sarnen is now dropping again.
Lötschberg tunnel closed
BLS closed both tubes of the Lötschberg Base Tunnel this morning due to the continuous rain in Valais. Water had entered the tunnel between Ferden VS and St. German VS.
Experts are on site to assess the situation and define measures, said BLS spokeswoman Tamara Traxler on request. At least one tube should be reopened on Saturday morning.
Danger of landslides
Because the ground is saturated with water, the authorities also warned of a risk of mudslides, landslides and rockfalls in many places. Such a danger existed on Thursday in the Champéry region in Lower Valais, combined with the risk of water rising in the Vièze mountain stream.
A landslide of large stones, mud and trees has blocked the Vièze, as Raphaël Mayoraz, head of the Natural Hazards Service, told Keystone-SDA. This has created a lake with a length of around 100 meters and a depth of four to five meters.
"Now there is a danger that the plug will come loose and the water will suddenly rush down into the valley," he continued. During the night, around 100 people were evacuated from the danger zone to safety as a precaution. The situation was stable in the rest of Valais, but the danger of landslides and mudslides remained in many places.
A mudslide hit a house in the hamlet of Scombras in Bonaduz in the canton of Graubünden on Wednesday evening. The fire department rescued a man trapped in the property. He and his wife had to be taken to hospital.
The road to Scombras was closed and the hamlet was cut off from the outside world. Geologists were assessing the situation.
Weather improvement in sight
With better weather forecast for the next few days, the flood situation in Switzerland should gradually calm down. Meteorologists have predicted stable high-pressure weather from Friday until next Tuesday.
After mostly sunny days, the north side of the Alps is likely to see precipitation again next Wednesday. With slightly lower temperatures of around 5 degrees in the lowlands, the snow line will also drop to around 1000 meters.
©كيستون/إسدا
Arabic 
English 
German 
French 
Spanish