Benefit of the month #6: Green Infrastructure and flood prevention
Each month we introduce a particular benefit of green infrastructure including examples from the project’s case study areas and across Central Europe.
Brusaschetto Nuovo - from refuge to reserve people and nature
In 1959 the small village of Brusaschetto above the River Po was evacuated due to subsidence from mining underneath the settlement. Most villagers wanted to stay, it was their home and their heritage. However, a new ‘safer’ settlement called Brusaschetto Nuovo was created in the floodplain to accommodate those who left the village. It had 15 buildings, a church and a warehouse. The mining ceased and the houses in ‘old’ Brusaschetto
were stabilised and made safe for habitation. However, the folly of building on the floodplain became apparent when in 1994 and 2000 the ‘new’ village was hit by severe floods making it unfit and unsafe for the villagers.
Since 2009 the Municipality of Camino and the Po Park Authority have been cooperating to create a 58 ha wetland area that includes the site once occupied by the ‘new’ village. Their aim is create habitats more akin to those found on the Po floodplain and to create areas where flood waters can be stored and slowed down to
reduce the impact of flooding downstream. The pools and shallows cover a number of depths providing a variety of natural habitats. The site is also home to part of the Piedmont cycle network, allowing users to enjoy the natural beauty of the river and its surroundings.
Brusaschetto Nuovo Refuge, (photo: Elisa Costanzo) |
Brusaschetto Nuovo Reserve (photo: Simone Ciadamidaro) |
Brusaschetto Nuovo 1954 |
Brusaschetto Nuovo 1988 |
Brusaschetto Nuovo 2000 |
Brusaschetto Nuovo 2007 |
Brusaschetto Nuovo 2010 |
Brusaschetto Nuovo 2016 |
All aerial images © Aree protette Po vercellese-alessandrino
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