Switzerland wants to remove thousands of tons of ammunition dumped by the army from its lakes

Some of Switzerland’s most visited and most famous lakes hide a not-so-glamorous secret beneath the Alpine waters: thousands of lakes. tons of ammunition This country’s army abandoned it for decades.

The Swiss army used the lakes as a real lake. garbageSome data sets hairs: 3,300 tons were dumped into the lake. four cantons Or 4500 tons in the lake waters NeuchatelThe same practices were implemented in the lake. thon Or in the lake PrinceThe military defends their behavior by saying they did so because they believed the practice was safe and followed “Advice from geologists“

But, whatever the case, scientists have been warning for several years about the dangers that this situation could generate. For starters, although the ammunition is underwater, it is still there. explosion hazardBecause in many cases the military did not remove the fuses before throwing the ammunition.

In addition, there is Risk of contaminationwith the real possibility that the highly toxic TNT could contaminate the lake’s water as well as the sediments.

So, the Swiss government decided to thread the needle and called in one. Ideas Competition To remove spilled ammunition.Safely and with respect for the environmentThe Ministry of Defense provides a 50,000 euros Who designs the best recovery plan?

Proposals can be submitted until next February.

Difficulties and risks

But the plan is far from simple. The year 2005 An evaluation of possible recovery techniques has already been made and all proposed solutions have been presented. Serious risks to ecosystems Lake sensitivity.

Factors such as Blurred vision Or the weight of the material to be recovered makes the process too difficult.

In Lake Neuchâtel, for example, the munitions are only 6 or 7 metres above the surface, but in other lakes the debris is 300 metres deep. 150 and 220 meters.

Problematic “legacy”.

This is not the first time the Swiss army has had problems managing its ammunition. 19473,000 tons of ammunition stored on a mountain in a small town in the Alps Myths They exploded as they left. 9 dead And almost the entire city was destroyed.

Just three years ago, the military revealed that – 3,500 tons of unexploded ordnance which is still buried in the Metullus Mountains They were not safe.The cleanup process can take a decade.

There is also some controversy with Forced clearance of mines and explosives which has been in place for years Bridges and tunnels The country was prepared to face any possible foreign invasion. With the increasing circulation of heavy vehicles, there was a risk of causing an explosion.

On top of all that, glaciers are retreating as a result of the diverse climate crisis. Ammunition obtained from military training decades ago in the high mountains is resurfacing.More and more civilians are finding unexploded ordnance in the fields and mountains of Switzerland.

Many experts recommend seeking advice from: United Kingdom, Norway A Denmarkfor the experience of these countries in dealing with war debris containing unexploded ordnance.