Dozens of Swiss divers clear rubbish from Lake Thun in annual clean-up

Dozens of divers remove rubbish from the right bank of Lake Thun Keystone-SDA

More than 70 divers joined forces on Saturday to clear rubbish from Lake Thun’s right bank, between Hilterfingen and Gunten, in western Switzerland.

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Dozens of volunteers supported the operation, which was organised by the Swiss Underwater Sports Association as part of its annual “Seeputzete” clean-up.

Around 120 divers and volunteers answered the call, according to Martin Michel, president of the local organising committee, speaking to reporters in Gunten on Saturday. On a foggy morning just after 10am, 77 divers entered the water at 11 different sites. At the surface, the lake was about eight degrees Celsius.

The association ran a similar clean-up on Lake Thun last year. This time, the focus is on spots that can only be reached through private lakeside properties. Permission was obtained from owners in advance, Michel explained. The operation was also approved by local authorities, the lake police and transport company BLS Schifffahrt.

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Each dive site is expected to yield about a cubic metre of rubbish. Thun-based waste firm AVAG will collect and dispose of it free of charge.

Divers removed environmentally harmful items such as chemicals, oils, tyres, batteries and plastic from the lake. Objects that pose no risk, like bricks or glass that now provide shelter for aquatic life, were left undisturbed.

Less rubbish in Swiss lakes, but polluted spots still a concern

Last year, divers even came across larger items, including a boiler thought to have been dumped years ago. Recovering such heavy objects requires a specialist team. Ammunition has also been found in the past, in which case the police were called in.

Michel believes fewer items are ending up in the lake these days. But there are still plenty of polluted spots, he said, as people once dumped all sorts of things in the water without a second thought.

On Saturday, divers worked in pairs, reaching depths of up to 15 metres. The first tyres were hauled out of the lake shortly after the clean-up began.

The Swiss Underwater Sports Association has been the umbrella organisation for underwater sports since 1957. It represents disciplines including scuba diving, freediving, underwater rugby and hockey, mermaiding and finswimming. The association also coordinates joint clean-up campaigns with clubs and dive shops, such as those on Lake Thun.

Translated from German by AI/sp

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