Environmental associations criticize State Council decision on Rhone correction
Published: Tuesday, Jun 25th 2024, 10:50
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The environmental associations WWF, Pro Natura Oberwallis and the Valais Sport Fishing Association have sharply criticized an expert report and a State Council decision on the third Rhone correction. The study had come to the conclusion that the flood protection project was oversized. On this basis, the cantonal government decided to revise the project.
In a joint press release issued on Tuesday, the organizations complained that this decision by the Valais State Council was made "in a complete lack of transparency". This is despite the fact that the third Rhone correction has been the subject of numerous participatory processes since its launch in the 2000s, in which environmental organizations, fishermen and numerous other stakeholders have participated.
WWF, Pro Natura and the Sport Fishing Association were extremely surprised by the conclusions of the Lausanne study. These were tantamount to a blanket reckoning against the original project. In addition, the study was carried out by an office that specializes in real estate and has no references in the area of flood and water protection projects on large rivers.
The State Council's decision reveals a latent lack of leadership with regard to the realization of a major project that has been desired by the people of Valais since 2015. Any reassessment of the dossier would cause considerable delays, result in less security and jeopardize federal funding. The volumes of water last weekend had clearly shown that Valais could not afford this.
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