Villaga: inhabited safely thanks to the drainage channel

Ribbon cutting of the one million euro work commissioned by the Province. Present authorities, technicians and the workers of the Hypogeum and the Casarotto company

FELTRE. The town of Villaga is now safe. Ribbon cutting yesterday for the complex of safety interventions of the fraction fielded by the Province of Belluno. This is the first excerpt, worth 1 million euros, which saw the construction of a drainage channel that conveys the rainwater coming from the side of Monte Tomatico, preventing them from triggering mudslides and invading houses and streets. of the fraction.

“With this first excerpt, we are securing the houses and the inhabitants”, comments the provincial councilor delegated to the defense of the soil, Mattia Gosetti. “It is an important investment that serves to ensure liveability in one of the areas that recent weather events have revealed to be fragile”.

THE PROBLEM

The instability of Villaga in fact originated a few years ago. On the evening of 13 October 2014, a rapid flow event occurred from the slopes of Monte Tomatico which mobilized approximately 20,000 cubic meters of debris material. The flow poured downstream and deposited on meadows, woods and cultivated areas, houses and municipal roads. Large boulders have stopped near the houses.

The Province and the Municipality have carried out urgent interventions to mitigate the hydrogeological risk. However, on 4 and 5 November 2014 there was a new flow which made it clear how important a definitive refurbishment of the watercourse was, which is dry for the whole year, but takes on a worrying torrential character on the occasion of significant weather events that are becoming more and more frequent. A final project was then drawn up for a value of 3.5 million euros.

THE INTERVENTIONS

The works carried out so far concern the first functional portion, amounting to 1 million euros, with the aim of preserving the town of Villaga. There are six works, all aimed at creating a drainage channel for the safe delivery of rainwater. The goal is to intercept the water before it can erode the ground and convey it to the natural drain in the Rio Aurich, downstream from the built-up area.

1: cleaning, protection and coating with gigantic boulders of the banks and embankments upstream of the ford at an altitude of 440 meters above sea level; 2: re-profiling of the ford and construction of a brush on the hydrographic right to protect the houses below; 3: enlargement of the accumulation tank made in extreme urgency up to a capacity of 5,000 cubic meters, with a bridle at the head and 4 transversal jumps from about 2 meters high made with squared cyclopean boulders. This work should be able to contain almost the entire solid component of the casting; 4: construction of a rainwater drainage channel in the underlying slope downstream of via Villaga, subsequently leaving the surface free flow of water towards the Aurich river; 5: construction of a dissipation tank in reinforced concrete with selective bridle; 6: to allow the crossing of via Barucce and the municipal road, prefabricated reinforced concrete structures were installed.

The works were awarded to the Hypogeum of Seren del Grappa which carried out the intervention with the support of the Casarotto Company. On 5 and 6 December 2020, during the construction of the canal, a new flow was triggered which affected the excavations, causing damage to the works, which was remedied with the reuse of the auction discount, thanks to the adjustments made by the designer Moreno Segat.

NEXT OPERATIONS

The second section, expected in 2024, provides for the further widening of the storage tank and the construction of a selective bridle. “The goal is always to fix the hydrogeological criticalities, which unfortunately are many” comments the president of the Province, Roberto Padrin. “Securing the territory, especially after the consequences of Vaia, remains the priority.” During the ceremony, the community was thanked for the conclusion of the work, thanks to the Manfroi couple, owners of one of the most damaged houses.