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WORLD NEWS Tuesday 19 November 2019

Flood-hit Venice’s dwindling population faces mounting woes

By COLLEEN BARRY At the public level, propos-
Associated Press als for better administering
VENICE, Italy (AP) — One the city including granting
of only four oar makers some level of autonomy to
for Venice’s famed gon- Venice, already enjoyed
doliers, Paolo Brandolisio by some Italian regions like
wades through his ground- Trentino-Alto-Adige with its
floor workshop for the third German-speaking minority,
time in a week of record- or offering tax breaks to en-
breaking floods, despairing courage Venice’s repopu-
of any help from national or lation. Just 53,000 people
local institutions. live in the historic part of
“If these phenomena con- the city that tourists know
tinue to repeat themselves, as Venice, down by a third
you have to think about from a generation ago and
how to defend yourself,” dropping by about 1,000
he says. “Because the de- people a year. The popula-
fenses that the politicians tion of the lagoon islands —
have made don’t seem to including glass-making Mu-
be nearly enough.” rano and the Lido beach
“You have to think of your- destination — is just under
self,” he repeats. 30,000, and dwindling too.
Venetians are fed up with That means fewer people
what they see as inad- In this photo taken on Sunday, Nov. 17, 2019, Paolo Brandolisio stands in his oars flooded laboratory, watching the neighbor-
equate responses to the in Venice, Italy. hood, monitoring for pub-
city’s mounting problems: Associated Press lic maintenance issues or
record-breaking flooding, become clear with time. Venice has endured this terlogged property for neighbors in need. Many
environmental and safety Architectural masterpieces week. With the system not those in need and profes- leave because of the in-
threats from cruise ship traf- like St. Mark’s Cathedral still yet completed or even sionals like water-taxi driv- creased expense or the
fic and the burden on ser- need to be fully inspected partially tested after 16 ers who offered transport daily difficulties in living in
vices from over-tourism. and damaged manuscripts years of work and 5 billion during the emergency. a city of canals, which can
They feel largely left to their from the Music Conserva- euros ($5.5 billion) invested, For now, he is taking mat- make even a simple errand
own devices, with ever- tory library treated by ex- many are skeptical it will ters into his own hands. a minor odyssey.
fewer Venetians living in perts — not to mention the even work. To protect his bottega Activists also say local politi-
the historic part of the city personal losses suffered by “This is a climate emergen- where he not only makes cians are more beholden to
to defend its interests and thousands of residents and cy. This is sick governance oars but carves ornamental the city’s mainland popula-
keep it from becoming businesses. of the city,” said Jane Da oar posts for gondolas or as tion, which has jumped to
mainly a tourist domain. “I feel ashamed,” said Fa- Mosto, an environmental sculpture, Brandolisio said 180,000 people not directly
The historic flooding this bio Moretti, the president of scientist and executive di- he will have to consider affected, for the most part,
week — marked by three Venice’s historic Academy rector of the NGO “We Are raising the floor by at least by the same issues as the
floods over 1.5 meters of Fine Arts that was once Here Venice,” whose aim 20 centimeters and buying lagoon dwellers.
(nearly 5 feet) and the presided over by Tiepolo it is to keep Venice a living a pump — precautions he They are pushing for pas-
highest in 53 years at 1.87 and Canova. “These plac- city as opposed to a mu- never previously deemed sage of a referendum on
meters (6 feet, 1 inch) — es are left in our custody. seum or theme park. necessary. Dec. 1 that would give the
has sharpened calls to cre- They don’t belong to us. Brandolisio, the oar builder, “I think I will lose at least two historic center and islands
ate an administration that They belong to humanity. It sees systemic lapses in the or three weeks of work,” he their own administration,
recognizes the uniqueness is a heritage that needs to official response, including said. “I will have to dry ev- separate from that serving
of Venice, for both its con- be preserved.” the failure of local authori- erything. Lots of things fell more populous Mestre and
centration of treasures and The frustration goes far be- ties to organize services into the water, so I need to the industrial port of Mar-
its increasing vulnerability. yond the failure to com- immediately for those in clean all the tools that can ghera. Those areas were
Flood damage has been plete and activate 78 un- need, an absence filled by get rusty. I need to take annexed to Venice by the
estimated at hundreds of derwater barriers that were volunteers. That included care of wood that got wet, Fascist dictator Benito Mus-
millions of euros (dollars), designed to prevent just both a network of students which I can’t use because solini, and not necessarily a
but the true scope will only the kind of damage that who helped clear out wa- it cannot be glued.” natural fit.q