Authorities have only now determined the origin of Sunday morning’s unusual bright green change in Venice’s Grand Canal.
The bright colour, which was first noticed near the city’s Rialto Bridge and continued throughout the day, was said to be brought on by a non-toxic chemical called fluorescien, according to CNN.
According to environmental specialists, the chemical is frequently employed in building projects to help identify the direction of leaks. A tablespoon of the dye is generally used, but this past weekend, it appeared that at least one kilogramme (about a quarter of a gallon) was dumped into the Italian canal.
According to Maurizio Vesco of the Regional Agency for Environmental Protection, “I find it hard to believe that it was an incident… and that a kilo of fluorescein was casually released into the canal,” according to local Italian media La Repubbica.
No one has claimed responsibility for the green water patch, but authorities suspect it may be an environmental activist ploy. Luca Zaia, the president of the region of Venice, told CNN that copycat actions may follow.
However, it’s possible that Sunday’s conduct was a copycat occurrence in and of itself. After all, Argentine artist Nicolás Garca Uriburu used the same chemical in the Venetian waters in 1968 to draw attention to environmental issues during the 34th Venice Biennale. The Met Museum claims that his conduct “transformed the Italian city’s landscape for the course of one day, with its waters fluorescent green until the low tide made the dye gradually disappear.”
While Garca Uriburu’s prank occurred during the Biennale that focused on art, this year’s Biennale, which began on May 20 and will last through November 26, focuses on architecture.
Source: Travel + Leisure
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