On Monday, experts presented the tunnelling project proposed to give residents of the village in the southwestern Swiss canton of Graubünden some relief. Brienz/Brinzauls had recently made the headlines because of the threat of a landslide over the village in the Albula Valley that could have buried it.
The village itself also stands on unstable rock and is sliding downhill at an increasing rate. To put the brakes, a drainage tunnel will be drilled into the mountain to west of the village. The aim is to extract water from the rock below the village which will help stabilise the surrounding area.
“The tunnel is meant to stop the movement of the rock below the village and also that of the mountain above,” explained engineering geologist Reto Thöny at a press conference on Monday.
According to the geologist, there is no comparable drainage project of its kind anywhere else. Nevertheless, the geologists and residents of Brienz/Brinzauls are optimistic that the landslide movements can be slowed down enough to keep the village habitable.
“We are confident that the landslide will come to a complete halt,” said Daniel Albertin, mayor of Albula/Alvra municipality to which Brienz belongs.
An exploratory tunnel of 650m has already been drilled to give geologists and engineers a chance to test the plan. This will be extended by 1.6km and the entire project is estimated to cost CHF40 million ($45.5 million).
The huge landslide occurred at Brienz/Brinzauls in the early hours of Thursday, June 16. An estimated 1.5 million cubic meters of rock slid down the mountainside, narrowly avoiding the village. However, it covered a cantonal road and left a significant deposit in front of the school building.
The 86 inhabitants were evacuated on May 12 after geology experts warned that a mass of two million cubic metres of rock looming over the village could break loose. They were only allowed to return almost two months later.
Related Stories
Popular Stories
More
Demographics
Roger Federer is not eternal, but he changed tennis forever
One Swiss national killed in plane accident in southern France
This content was published on
A Swiss national was killed alongside a German national in a crash involving two light aircraft on Saturday afternoon in Saint-Pons, south-eastern France.
Over 6,000 apprenticeships remain unfilled in Switzerland
This content was published on
By mid-August, which is the start of the Swiss school year, some 6,400 apprenticeship vacancies remain, mainly in the construction, catering and machinery industries.
Japanese film Tabi to Hibi wins Golden Leopard at Locarno
This content was published on
The Japanese film Tabi to Hibi by director Sho Miyake won the Golden Leopard, the top prize in the international competition, on the final day of the Locarno Festival.
Switzerland could produce up to 5Mt of emissions annually by 2050
This content was published on
Two to five megatonnes of CO2 equivalents per year: this is the amount of greenhouse gas emissions that Switzerland is still expected to produce annually in 2050, a new study shows.
US tariffs putting 100,000 jobs at risk in Switzerland
This content was published on
US tariffs of 39% on Swiss imports will directly affect 100,000 jobs, mainly in the watchmaking, machinery, metals, and food industries, economiesuisse warns.
This content was published on
Switzerland has released CHF4 million (nearly $5 million) to help Sudan, which has been severely affected by famine and cholera.
Switzerland rejects new Israeli settlements in Palestinian territory
This content was published on
Switzerland says it rejects the announced construction of thousands of housing units in the Israeli-occupied Palestinian West Bank.
Larry Finck and André Hoffmann named interim co-chairs of WEF board
This content was published on
The WEF also revealed an investigation commissioned by the board has cleared its founder Klaus Schwab and his wife of accusations made by anonymous whistleblowers.
Vice-president of German parliament in favour of Switzerland joining EU
This content was published on
The vice-president of the Bundestag says his country should support closer ties between Switzerland and the European Union given the customs conflict with the United States.
Lindt & Sprüngli reportedly considering shifting Easter bunny production to US
This content was published on
Swiss chocolate manufacturer Lindt & Sprüngli could relocate the production of its gold-wrapped Easter bunnies to the US in order to circumvent the import tariffs imposed by the Trump administration.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.