After the dam disaster in Ukraine: how safe are Swiss sheet piles?

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Tens of thousands of people are threatened by the flooding after the explosion of Ukraine’s Kakhovka dam. Ukraine and Russia blame each other for Tuesday night’s explosion.

In view of the flood disaster there, the question arises how well protected the Swiss dams are.

Reservoirs are emptied in case of emergency

Swiss sheet piles have been guarded since 1943 due to acts of war in Germany. At that time, after the bombing of two dams in Germany, the Federal Council increased security, as Markus Schwager of the Federal Office of Energy told the “Tamedia” newspapers.

“The approximately 70 large gravity walls in Switzerland, for example, are very well protected against acts of sabotage,” the expert assesses the situation. But there are also lighter construction methods, such as weirs and dams on larger rivers in Switzerland, which would be just as dangerous in case of war as those in the Ukraine.

75 systems are equipped with sirens

Today, Switzerland has a security concept for Swiss dams in case of terrorist attacks, war and natural disasters. According to the Federal Office of Energy, about 75 systems are equipped with pre-installed sirens that alert the public in case of an emergency.

However, in the event of war, the Swiss reservoirs must be emptied in whole or in part as a preventive measure, depending on the threat situation. In principle, any large reservoir should be designed to allow partial emptying within three days.

The Federal Office also currently monitors the seismic safety of all systems. Statistically speaking, floods are the biggest threat to buildings today, says Schwager. (she)

Source:Blick