Switzerland offers 50 thousand francs for the idea of clearing lakes of ammunition
Kyiv • UNN
The Swiss Ministry of Defense has announced a competition for the best idea to remove ammunition from lakes. The Firwaldstätte and Neuchâtel lakes contain more than 7,800 tons of ammunition at different depths.
The Swiss Ministry of Defense is offering 50 thousand francs (more than 57 thousand dollars) for the best idea to clear local lakes of ammunition. This was reported by DW, according to UNN.
Details
We are talking about ammunition, which in some cases is over 100 years old. They may have been flooded when they were written off or defects were discovered, and in the case of Lake Rotze in the canton of Lucerne, after a catastrophic explosion at an army depot when hand grenades were at the bottom, about 8,600 of them are still there.
For many years, the Swiss military used the lakes as dumping grounds for old ammunition, believing that it could be safely disposed of there.
There are approximately 3,300 tons of ammunition in Lake Firwaldstätte alone, and 4,500 tons in the waters of Lake Nevshatel.
Some ammunition is found at a depth of 150 to 220 meters, but others may lie only at a depth of 6-7 meters.
Now the Swiss defense ministry is offering a cash reward for the best idea on how to retrieve them.
The three best ideas for a safe and environmentally friendly way to remove the munitions will share a prize fund - but the salvage operation is expected to cost billions.
An assessment of possible disposal methods conducted in 2005 showed that all proposed solutions for the removal of ammunition pose serious risks to the sensitive ecosystems of the lakes.
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