The Grisons village of Brienz/Brinzauls continues to slide rapidly downhill and is also threatened by a rock slide. The latest analyses show clear evidence that a major rock slide or landslide can occur within just a few years. Close monitoring of the mountain is continuing, and the municipality has prepared for a rapid evacuation of the village for safety reasons.
The village of Brienz/Brinzauls is still threatened by a rock slide. True, the situation has not worsened in recent weeks. However, if the rate of landslide on the mountain continues as it does today, a major rock slide or a large landslide towards the village must be expected within the next few years. Such an event could pose an acute threat to the safety of the village of Brienz/Brinzauls and parts of the neighboring districts of Vazerol, Tiefencastel and Surava as well as the traffic routes in the area.
Experience has shown that a major termination is announced several weeks in advance and can therefore be predicted. For the coming month, such an event is highly unlikely. Nevertheless, residents of Brienz/Brinzauls and the districts of Vazerol, Tiefencastel and Surava will receive written information in the coming days on how to react within a few hours in the event of an evacuation.
The probability that such a rapid evacuation would be necessary is very low, said Daniel Albertin, President of the Albula/Alvra community, to which Brienz/Brinzauls belongs, on the fourth information session for the affected population on Friday evening. In the interest of the safety of the affected population, however, the municipality wants to be prepared to be able to implement rapid measures in an orderly manner. The village of Brienz/Brinzauls itself is also sliding down the valley. It moves on a flock of rock up to 150 meters thick at around one meter per year. The movement is constant at the moment, but at a very high level.
Should it continue to intensify, there is a risk of new, major damage to the community's infrastructure and private real estate.
Monitor and explore
Using laser, satellite positioning and radar technology, landslides in the village and the mountainside above are constantly being closely monitored. This allows experts to continuously assess the situation and to warn the community and population at an early stage should the situation worsen. If necessary, the area and traffic routes can be blocked and evacuated at short notice. In order to investigate landslides and find ways to repair them, further exploratory drilling and measurements are being carried out in and around Brienz/Brinzauls using various techniques.
Subsoil water flows are also being investigated. In researching landslides, monitoring and assessing the situation and preparing preventive measures, the municipality is supported by numerous experts from the canton and external experts. On the cantonal side, services from all departments and Graubünden GVG buildings insurance are involved; the cantonal government and cantonal management staff were informed of the situation.
Information for the population
The information session on Friday was already the fourth of its kind. The municipality will inform the population and the public again as soon as there is a change in the situation or important decisions have been made. An information page on the Brienz slide has been set up on the Internet at www.albula-alvra.ch, and current information will be published via Twitter (www.twitter.com/AlbulaAlvra). The municipality is available to answer questions from the affected population — it has set up a telephone hotline on 079 936 39 39.
About Brienz/Brinzauls
The village of Brienz/Brinzauls is a village in the municipality of Albula/Alvra in Mittelbünden, which was merged in 2015. Brienz/Brinzauls is located on a sun terrace on the connecting road from Lenzerheide to Davos at an altitude of around 1150 meters. It has just under 100 inhabitants and up to 200 holiday guests during the season. The village has been moving since time immemorial: The entire terrace has probably been sliding down the valley since the last ice age. Over the past 100 years, Brienz/Brinzauls has moved a few centimeters per year.
In the last twenty years, however, the landslide has accelerated significantly: The movement is currently around one meter per year. For 140 years, the slopes above the village have also been moving: In 1877, rock mass of around 13 million cubic meters began to slide downhill northeast of the village. Since the landslide — now known as “Igl Rutsch” — took place relatively slowly and over several weeks, no people were injured.
Christian Gartmann is the information officer for the municipality of Albula/Alvra for the Brienz slide.