The special post-flood plan that the commissioner structure for reconstruction, the Basin Authority and the Region presented yesterday in Bologna has the contours of a real revolution in the appearance of Romagna. General Giancarlo Gambardella, of the commissioner’s structure, did not mince his words: “It is the first time that a plan like this has been drawn up for flood and non-seismic critical issues. The previous earthquake plans were dedicated to reconstruction: here we are doing something else, we are planning as it will be Emilia Romagna in the future to prevent flood risks”. The plan is still at the preliminary level: the details of the interventions will be contained in the implementation plan signed by Commissioner Figliuolo, expected on 30 June. In the meantime, however, the coordinates of the operations to be implemented outline a global reorganization of the region as the latest generations have known it. “It is no longer conceivable to rebuild Emilia Romagna as it was before – intervened the director of the Basin Authority Andrea Colombo –, a change of paradigm is needed. The embankments that rise between the Via Emilia and the sea bear the imprint of early twentieth century: a system no longer adequate in relation to what has happened and will happen. The embankments can no longer be increased in height, they cannot be raised. We must set back the embankments, to give more space to the rivers, and allow controlled overflow. It involves allowing flood water to flow out of the rivers, to ensure that its pressure does not lead to bank failures”. And this is only the first chapter: “Regulations are needed that limit urban development in the areas that have been flooded. In the urbanized areas most dangerously close to the rivers, relocations will have to be implemented.” If the embankments bear the signature of the early twentieth century, the road network sometimes suffers from two thousand years of history. “On the bridge front, we will follow three guidelines – continued Colombo –. First of all, hydraulic compatibility: we must have a clear understanding of how a bridge interferes with floods and with the consequences that this may have on the surrounding area. Subsequently, the restoration interventions must be defined adaptation or, if this is not 100% possible, at least improvement, the transitional operating conditions must be decided: how to manage the bridge, how to carry out maintenance”. A necessary clarification that clarified an element that is now clear to many: the reconstruction will take years, or perhaps decades. The expansion reservoirs are the public works that by definition encounter postponements after postponements: “a nine-hectare reservoir of extension like that of the Baganza in the Parma area is not feasible everywhere – specified the vice-president Priolo –. This is why it is essential to design the areas of controlled overflow”. The plan “has already obtained the preliminary favorable opinion of the ministries”, concluded Gambardella.
Filippo Donati
