Once again very high activity on the Kleine Nesthorn above Blatten VS
Keystone-SDA
According to the authorities in canton Valais, the danger in the landslide area in the Lötschental valley remains very high on Sunday. A very high level of activity was once again recorded on the Kleine Nesthorn mountain. According to estimates, several hundred thousand cubic metres of rock are still unstable.
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An operation on the debris cone is therefore currently not possible, according to a situation update from the cantonal command centre on Sunday morning. The population is urgently requested to follow the instructions of the authorities.
“There are still rockfalls from the Kleiner Nesthorn,” said Matthias Ebener, head of information at the regional command centre in the Lötschental, when asked by the Keystone-SDA news agency. However, everything remains where the glacier used to be, Ebener continued.
The Lonza river, which is now flowing down the entire length of the debris cone, is refilling the reservoir in Ferden, which had been emptied as a precautionary measure, the authorities added. As the sediment concentration in the water is too high, turbining is not possible. In view of this situation, the bottom outlet of the reservoir was partially opened on Friday evening.
This controlled measure allows the water to flow from the reservoir into the Lonza. During the night from Saturday to Sunday, the level of the Ferden lake rose slightly, but is still below the level measured before the bottom outlet was opened.
This means that the retention function of the lake in the event of a mudslide remains intact, the report continued. The affected zone as well as the lake, the river and the Ferden reservoir are being continuously monitored. Numerous measuring devices have been installed for this purpose.
Translated from German by DeepL/jdp
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