How can tragedies like the one on the Marmolada be avoided?
Marmolada case. Unforeseeable events can be answered with the knowledge of science, the choices of institutions and the precautions of hikers updated on everything. Also on the risks.
The Trento Public Prosecutor's Office and mountain experts, as well as geologists and meteorologists agree: the collapse of the glacier was unpredictable. And there is also general consensus on the closure of the Marmolada massif ordered by the mayor of Canazei to discourage hikers, and to sanction those who violate the prohibition in the risk area following the posting.
Yet, in the aftermath of the massacre, the real challenge is not only how to react to the tragedy that has just occurred, but also how to avoid the repetition of similar events "announced" by climate change. And what to do from now on to guarantee the safety of people without penalizing the freedom of tourists and the economy that revolves around them.
Perhaps the first thing that institutions and all stakeholders should understand is that the emergency is fought at the time of normality. If drought is faced when it rains and not when the desert is instead of rivers, i.e. with ordinary prevention and planning, the most serious risk of the main glaciers can at least be monitored in time with particular technologies. Like earthquakes, which we know where they can occur but not when, even for disasters at high altitudes we can identify warning signs and indicate where and how they occur. That doesn't mean guessing when. However, it means making everyone more aware.
Here the second question arises that the Marmolada massacre forcefully re-proposes: what to do to allow everyone to go up to the mountains without transforming peaks and malghe, paths and streams into a Disneyland in boots.
“In the mountains red flags like the sea to signal risks”, suggests Maurizio Fugatti, president of the province of Trento, relaunching the idea of the governor of Veneto, Luca Zaia, for glaciers. Prohibit access, therefore, in areas with impending danger. Another way to cultivate the civic and collective sense of good coexistence between peaks, routes and citizens, and to better regulate the journey in these wonderful places. More informed tourism also contributes to general safety.
Unforeseeable events can be answered with the knowledge of science, the choices of institutions and the precautions of hikers updated on everything. Also on the risks.
(Comment published in The Arena of Verona, Il Giornale di Vicenza and Bresciaoggi)
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This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/mondo/marmolada-prevenzione/ on Sat, 09 Jul 2022 06:27:56 +0000.