The Vajont Disaster: 60 Years of Memory
October 9, 1963 is a date carved into the memory of Italians: on that tragic day, in fact, the Vajont disaster occurred, one of the most devastating events in Italy’s history. Photo exhibitions, events and commemorative ceremonies are organized for the 60th anniversary.
The Great Vajont Project.
The Vajont river originates in Friuli-Venezia Giulia, a region in northeastern Italy, flows through the valley of the same name and then into the Piave river in Veneto, near Longarone.
The idea of exploiting this valley as a hydroelectric reservoir dates back to the 1800s, and its interest was related to the possibility of creating a huge water reservoir that could produce enough electricity for all of northeastern Italy. The project was started in the late 1950s, during the economic boom period. Construction of the artificial dam began in 1956 and the inauguration took place in 1959. This dam, 262 meters high, was at the time the largest in Europe and was considered an engineering feat of astonishing magnitude.
Vajont disaster.
Unfortunately, a few years later disaster struck: the fall of heavy rains saturated the ground around the dam, making it unstable, and on October 9, 1963, a mass of rock, dirt and trees with a volume of 270 million cubic meters broke away from Mount Toc and plunged into the water-filled reservoir.
This event triggered a chain of devastating reactions: the immense volume of water in the reservoir was lifted and generated a tidal wave that overtook the dam with unprecedented power. The wave, more than 250 meters high, swept furiously over the communities below, sweeping away everything in its path in less than 3 minutes. It is estimated that the intensity of the shockwave associated with the air displacement was double than that caused by an atomic bomb.
The toll was frightening. More than 1,900 people lost their lives, swallowed by water and rubble. The town of Longarone and its hamlets were literally wiped out. Entire villages were reduced to rubble and ruins.
Irony of fate: the dam remained standing.
Controversies.
The decisions made during the design and construction of the dam were the subject of much controversy.
The area where the dam was built, was declared geologically unstable given its susceptibility to landslides and seismic phenomena. The extent of geological hazards may not have been assessed carefully enough, and the construction of the dam was completed without taking adequate preventive measures.
The adoption of safety measures was also probably delayed by confusion regarding which state agency should take responsibility for them.
Evacuation was not sufficiently timely: some local authorities and even the company in charge of the dam are said to have hesitated to evacuate downstream communities, even when it was clear the dam’s precarious condition.
Investigations, trials, and court cases ended in 2000: the causes of the tragedy were attributed to designers and managers of the construction company.
Vajont: an international case study.
In 2008, declared by the UN “International Year of Planet Earth” and dedicated to raising awareness of environmental and geological problems, the Vajont disaster was cited on several occasions as a natural disaster that could have been avoided.
It later became one of the most discussed case studies worldwide as an example of deficient engineering and failure to assess geological risks, underscoring the importance of careful assessment of the natural environment in civil engineering decisions.
Vajont in books and films.
Numerous authors have dedicated their works to the Vajont disaster.
We mention “Il racconto del Vajont” by Marco Paolini: originated as a theatre monologue, later developed into a book, in it the author reconstructs firsthand events, speeches and stories of the people involved, based on the facts reported in journalist Tina Merlin’s reportage, “Sulla pelle viva“.
Merlin investigated the affair at length, studying documents and interviewing survivors, revealing the dense network of political connections, and coming to clearly define the causes and perpetrators of the cataclysm.
Francesco Niccolini drew a graphic novel showing the faces (fictional and otherwise) of the characters involved.
Films include Renzo Martinelli’s “Vajont – la diga del disonore” (available on Apple TV and Google Play) winner of several awards, available fully in Italian on YouTube.
CLICK HERE TO READ THE ARTICLE IN ITALIAN
The museum dedicated to the victims of the Vajont disaster includes common objects devastated by the wave, among them wristwatches, found among the mud and rubble, all stopped on the same time: 10:39 p.m. That’s why we know the exact time of the tragedy.
