After the Rain

In the early days of April a few days of heavy rain were all that lasted to make the river Pescara, in the Abruzzo region of Italy, rise up to the limit of its banks. The raise was not significant, just enough to make the water quietly flow on the adjacent land. Still it caused problem and inconvenience for the boats that were small enough to be lift or submerged by the water.

I am no expert in fluid or civil engineering nor do I hold extreme views on environmental preservation. Still, I can’t stop thinking about the possible correlation between a poor set of choices such as reducing the river’s natural basin and cramming its banks with concrete and the fact that even a few days of substantial rain can have such consequences.

As in many case of remote and contemporary history, blaming the gods for what happened is an easier, but not convincing, shortcut.