The water of the Grand Canal in Venice near the Rialto Bridgethis Sunday has been dyed fluorescent green, a tracer fluid used to understand the path that the water follows, while still The origin and reasons for what happened are unknown.
The bright green spot appeared in the channel connecting Campo San Luca with the Grand Canal and little by little it spread through the rest of the Venetian canals after the beginning of the Vogalonga, a regatta that has been held since 1974 and that it was born as a demonstration to protect the Italian city.
The Police reported in a note that “after the first investigations, carried out by the fire brigade, together with the local police of Venice and the regional agency for the prevention and protection of the environment of the Veneto region (ARPAV), the substance seems to be a tracer, that is, a liquid that is injected in those circumstances in which it occurs a water leak in order to know the path followed” and that is also used in speleology.
🇮🇹 | The water of the Grand Canal #Venice it is dyed green and no one knows why.
Local authorities have called an urgent meeting to investigate the origin and cause of what happened. pic.twitter.com/sKR44RfzS3
— RD ALERTS 🇩🇴 AND THE 🗺️ (@Alertas_RD) May 28, 2023
While the investigations continue, it has been ensured that the liquid it is not toxic and there is no danger to the health of the inhabitants.
emergency meeting
The Government delegate of Venice, Michele de Bari, organized an emergency coordination meeting in order to determine the causes and the consequent measures to be adopted” and “pending the evolution of events, it has been ordered to intensify surveillance in the lagoon area to control any critical situation and prevent new similar episodes”.
This Monday, the note concludes, “the government delegate will hold a new meetingalso in relation to the evolution of the situation”.
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The Italian media pointed out that this episode recalls the initiative of the Argentine artist Nicolás García Uriburuwho died in 2016 at the age of 79, who in 1968 had poured a fluorescent green liquid into the Grand Canal to protest against water pollution.
For now no movement has claimed responsibility for this action and also denied their involvement by “Latest Generation” environmental activists, who in recent days have thrown black paint into the water of Rome’s Trevi Fountain and other buildings and works of art to protest against the lack of attention to climate change.