‘The forest had gone’: the storm that moved a mountain – The Guardian

 

Report on the June 2024 Maggia Valley Flash Flood and its Implications for Sustainable Development Goals

1.0 Event Overview

On June 29, 2024, a severe and highly localized thunderstorm caused catastrophic flash floods and debris flows in the upper Maggia valley, canton of Ticino, Switzerland. The event resulted in loss of life, significant infrastructure damage, and widespread environmental destruction, highlighting critical vulnerabilities related to several United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly those concerning climate action, community resilience, and infrastructure.

2.0 Meteorological and Environmental Context

2.1 Climate Factors and SDG 13: Climate Action

The disaster was precipitated by meteorological conditions exacerbated by climate change, directly engaging SDG 13 (Climate Action). Key factors included:

• Extreme Weather Event: MeteoSwiss issued a Level 4 “severe hazard” warning, its highest level for thunderstorms, indicating a significant deviation from historical weather patterns.
• Atmospheric Conditions: The storm resulted from the collision of hot, moist air, influenced by record-high Mediterranean surface temperatures, with the Alpine barrier. This underscores the increasing energy in the climate system that fuels more violent and unpredictable weather phenomena.
• Forecasting Limitations: The event exposed the inherent unpredictability of turbulent weather systems like thunderstorms, a challenge that global heating intensifies. This points to a critical need for enhanced climate modeling and adaptation strategies under SDG 13.

2.2 Environmental Conditions and SDG 15: Life on Land

The impact of the rainfall was magnified by pre-existing environmental conditions, demonstrating the fragility of mountain ecosystems as outlined in SDG 15 (Life on Land).

• Saturated Ground: Unseasonably late snowmelt had saturated the ground on the mountain ridges, reducing water absorption capacity and accelerating surface runoff.
• Ecosystem Degradation: In some areas, forests were weakened by bark beetle infestations, a phenomenon linked to warmer climates. The compromised root systems failed to hold the soil, contributing to the initiation of mudslides.
• Landscape Alteration: The event caused massive debris flows, tore away entire forests, and permanently altered river courses, resulting in a catastrophic loss of terrestrial ecosystems and biodiversity.

3.0 Impact Assessment in the Context of the SDGs

3.1 Human Toll and SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

The disaster had a severe human cost, directly impacting the targets of SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being).

1. Fatalities: Seven fatalities were confirmed, with one person remaining missing. Five individuals lost their lives in the village of Fontana, and two in Prato-Sornico.
2. Psychological Trauma: Survivors and community members experienced significant fear and psychological distress, highlighting the long-term mental health consequences of climate-related disasters.
3. Community Safety: Approximately 200 people attending a local football tournament were stranded overnight in perilous conditions, narrowly avoiding a larger catastrophe.

3.2 Infrastructure and Community Resilience: SDGs 9 & 11

The event exposed extreme vulnerabilities in local infrastructure and community planning, core areas of SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure) and SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities).

• Critical Infrastructure Failure: The destruction of the Visletto Bridge severed the sole transport link to the upper valleys. This collapse also destroyed crucial utility lines for electricity, running water, and telecommunications, completely isolating communities.
• Community Vulnerability: The historic villages of Fontana and Piano di Peccia suffered immense destruction, with homes and property buried under debris. This questions the sustainability of settlement patterns in high-risk zones without adequate protective measures.
• Disaster Risk Reduction: The incident at the Campo Draione football pitch, built on rubble and located near a river, illustrates a failure to fully integrate disaster risk assessment into land use and event planning, a key target of SDG 11.

4.0 Institutional Response and Governance

4.1 Disaster Management and SDG 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions

The response to the crisis tested the capacity of local and national institutions, a central theme of SDG 16 (Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions).

• Early Warning Systems: While a high-level warning was issued by MeteoSwiss, its lack of geographic specificity made preventative action, such as a targeted evacuation, difficult for authorities and individuals to implement. This highlights a gap in translating broad meteorological warnings into actionable local guidance.
• Decision-Making Under Uncertainty: Event organizers and local authorities faced critical decisions with incomplete information, underscoring the need for clearer protocols for public gatherings during severe weather alerts.
• Emergency Coordination: A state of emergency was declared, mobilizing police, fire services, mountain rescue, and the army. The response demonstrated institutional capacity for emergency management post-disaster.

4.2 Multi-Agency Cooperation and SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

The rescue and evacuation efforts were a clear example of SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals) in action.

• A coordinated response involving cantonal police, the army, and various local agencies was essential for the evacuation of over 500 people.
• The use of a school as a helicopter pad and command center showcased effective public-private and inter-agency collaboration during a crisis.

5.0 Conclusion: Lessons for Sustainable Development

The Maggia valley disaster serves as a stark case study of the interconnected challenges posed by the climate crisis. Moving forward, a concerted focus on the SDGs is imperative.

1. Enhance Climate Adaptation (SDG 13): Switzerland and other Alpine nations must accelerate investment in climate adaptation, including advanced forecasting technologies and public education on the risks of increasingly frequent and intense weather events.
2. Build Resilient Infrastructure (SDG 9 & 11): Reconstruction efforts must prioritize building resilient infrastructure capable of withstanding future shocks. Land-use planning must be revised to account for escalating climate risks in mountain communities.
3. Restore and Protect Ecosystems (SDG 15): The role of healthy forests in mitigating landslides underscores the need to integrate ecosystem restoration and management into national disaster risk reduction strategies.
4. Strengthen Governance and Institutions (SDG 16): Authorities must refine warning systems and communication protocols to ensure that alerts lead to effective, life-saving actions at the community level.

1. SDGs Addressed in the Article

SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

• The article focuses on the impact of a natural disaster on human settlements in the Maggia valley. It describes the destruction of homes (“The surge broke walls and shredded cars,” “The building was entirely destroyed”), the damage to community spaces (“The corner of the outdoor stage jutted into empty space”), and the evacuation of residents (“Evacuees were boarding a Super Puma helicopter”). This directly relates to making human settlements resilient and safe.

SDG 13: Climate Action

• The article explicitly links the extreme weather event to climate change. It mentions that “with global heating, the most violent phenomenon in weather may be becoming more violent,” and notes that the “surface temperature of the Mediterranean had been six degrees above its 30-year average.” It also discusses the increasing frequency of such events (“Such rain events look like they are becoming more frequent”) and other climate-related threats like “melting permafrost,” highlighting the urgent need for climate action and adaptation.

SDG 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure

• The failure of critical infrastructure is a central theme. The article details how the “Visletto Bridge over the Maggia had broken in two,” which was the “sole transport link to the upper valleys and carried crucial pipes and cables.” This collapse resulted in the communities being “cut off: without telephone signal, internet, running water or electricity,” underscoring the need for resilient infrastructure.

SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

• The disaster had severe health consequences, including loss of life (“Seven people were confirmed to have died in the disaster”) and a missing person. The article also touches on the psychological trauma of the survivors, as one states, “I don’t feel safe when there are thunderstorms. Thunder makes me feel afraid.” The emergency response, involving mountain rescue and the army, relates to managing health risks during a crisis.

SDG 15: Life on Land

• The article vividly describes the massive damage to the terrestrial ecosystem. The storm caused “more than 50 debris flows,” and the landscape was transformed into “a moonscape of fallen rock.” A character notes, “Where there was a trail, now there is no trail. Where there was forest and cows would graze, now I can see a mountain. The forest is gone.” This illustrates the degradation of mountain ecosystems and the loss of biodiversity.

2. Specific Targets Identified

1. Target 11.5: Reduce the number of deaths and people affected by disasters.

   • The article is a case study of a disaster’s impact, detailing the “seven people confirmed to have died,” the “one person was missing,” and the hundreds of people affected, including the “200 people” stranded on the football pitch and the “more than 500 people” initially reported missing. It also describes the destruction of property (“destroyed houses in Fontana,” “shredded cars”), which relates to decreasing direct economic losses.

2. Target 13.1: Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards.

   • The entire narrative revolves around a community’s struggle to cope with a climate-related natural disaster. The failure of the early warning system to provide precise, actionable information (“the information was frustratingly imprecise: no one knew where the rain would land”) and the subsequent devastation demonstrate the challenges in strengthening resilience and adaptive capacity.

3. Target 9.1: Develop quality, reliable, sustainable and resilient infrastructure.

   • The collapse of the Visletto Bridge is a direct example of infrastructure failing to be resilient. The article highlights its importance as the “sole transport link” carrying “crucial pipes and cables,” and its destruction cut off the entire region, demonstrating the consequences when infrastructure is not resilient to extreme events.

4. Target 13.3: Improve education, awareness-raising and human and institutional capacity on climate change… and early warning.

   • The article discusses the early warning system in detail, from the “level 4 storm warning” issued by MeteoSwiss to its dissemination via the “widely used MeteoSwiss app.” However, it also highlights the limitations of this system (“MeteoSwiss cannot provide that specificity”), pointing to a gap in institutional capacity to translate a general warning into localized, life-saving actions.

5. Target 15.3: Combat desertification, restore degraded land and soil… and strive to achieve a land degradation-neutral world.

   • The event caused extreme land degradation. The article describes how the village of Fontana was “buried under a fan of rubble 500 metres long, 500 metres wide and as much as 13 metres deep.” The statement that “it will take decades for life to return to the rock” directly addresses the long-term challenge of restoring land affected by floods and landslides.

3. Indicators Mentioned or Implied

1. Indicator 11.5.1: Number of deaths, missing persons and directly affected persons attributed to disasters.

   • The article provides specific figures that align with this indicator: “Seven people were confirmed to have died,” “one person was missing,” and hundreds were directly affected, including the “200 people” evacuated from Campo Draione and the “40 children stranded at a summer camp.”

2. Indicator 11.5.2: Direct economic loss… including disaster damage to critical infrastructure and disruption of basic services.

   • This is implied through descriptions of the damage. The article mentions “buildings destroyed,” “shredded cars,” and the destruction of the “Visletto Bridge.” The disruption of basic services is explicitly stated: the valleys were left “without telephone signal, internet, running water or electricity.”

3. Indicator 13.1.2: Number of countries and local governments that have adopted and implemented local disaster risk reduction strategies.

   • The article implies the existence of such a strategy by describing the coordinated response: “the meteorologists held a video call with police, the fire brigade, the civil protection agency, the transport network and the cantonal experts on hydrology and geology.” The police commander declaring a “state of emergency” and commandeering a “disaster coordination bunker” also points to an implemented strategy, though its limitations are a key theme.

4. Indicator 15.1.1: Forest area as a proportion of total land area.

   • A qualitative indicator of a negative change in this metric is provided. The landslide created a “void” where the forest had stood, and a character laments, “The forest is gone.” This points directly to a loss of forest area in the affected region.

4. Summary Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

SDGs	Targets	Indicators
SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities	Target 11.5: By 2030, significantly reduce the number of deaths and the number of people affected… caused by disasters.	Indicator 11.5.1: Number of deaths, missing persons and directly affected persons attributed to disasters (e.g., “Seven people were confirmed to have died,” “one person was missing,” “200 people” evacuated). Indicator 11.5.2: Direct economic loss… including disaster damage to critical infrastructure and disruption of basic services (e.g., “destroyed houses,” “shredded cars,” “Visletto Bridge had broken in two,” loss of electricity and water).
SDG 13: Climate Action	Target 13.1: Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters. Target 13.3: Improve education, awareness-raising and human and institutional capacity on… early warning.	Indicator 13.1.2: Number of local governments that have adopted and implemented local disaster risk reduction strategies (Implied by the coordinated response involving police, fire brigade, civil protection, and MeteoSwiss). The article describes the early warning system (“level 4 storm warning,” “MeteoSwiss app”) but also its limitations (“frustratingly imprecise”), serving as a qualitative measure of institutional capacity.
SDG 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure	Target 9.1: Develop quality, reliable, sustainable and resilient infrastructure.	Qualitative evidence of non-resilient infrastructure (The collapse of the “Visletto Bridge,” the “sole transport link,” which cut off communication, water, and electricity to the valleys).
SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being	Target 3.d: Strengthen the capacity of all countries… for early warning, risk reduction and management of national and global health risks.	The article describes the emergency response system in action (mountain rescue, army helicopters, disaster coordination bunker) but also notes the loss of life, indicating the limits of this capacity.
SDG 15: Life on Land	Target 15.3: By 2030, combat desertification, restore degraded land and soil… including land affected by… floods.	Indicator 15.1.1: Forest area as a proportion of total land area (Qualitative evidence of decrease: “The forest is gone”). Description of extreme land degradation (e.g., “a moonscape of fallen rock,” a village “buried under a fan of rubble”).

Source: theguardian.com