Salerno – It's an open wound in the hillside, a "special surveillance" that keeps the entire community of Torraca on tenterhooks. The landslide in the Cordici area isn't just a geological problem, but a sword of Damocles threatening to sever the town's vital artery: Provincial Road 16. If the landslide were to advance, isolation would be inevitable.
The disaster map and the red zone
The disaster figures paint a picture of a massive event: a collapse front 65 meters long and 40 meters wide, with a total volume of 4 cubic meters of material sliding down the valley.
A sinkhole that has swallowed up the road leading to the Sanctuary will inevitably redraw the local hydrogeological risk map: that site, previously not considered critical, will end up directly on the "red zone" list after last Thursday's heavy rains.
At the moment, the only positive news comes from the weather and technical surveys: despite persistent rain, the situation appears stable. However, extreme caution is required. The lower front of the landslide is just 115 meters from the roadway of the SP 16.
Emergency works and the 2 million plan
The rescue and safety operations moved swiftly. On Friday, the delicate bypass work for underground utilities was completed: gas pipes, sewer and water mains, and Enel lighting poles were secured.
Following a joint inspection by the Technical Office and the Local Police, the Municipality activated the emergency procedure, allocating €200.
The immediate objective is twofold: remove the damaged material and install reinforced concrete structures to consolidate the remaining stretch of road. This will restore traffic flow to the isolated homes, making the municipal road two-lane.
But definitive treatment is costly. A complex structural and geotechnical project will be needed to consolidate the slope and resurface the road and churchyard: an estimated cost of approximately €2 million.
The off-limits Sanctuary and the Feast of the Miracle
Then there is the devotional and social aspect, crucial to Torraca's identity. In agreement with the parish priest, Don Francesco Alpino, the Church of the Madonna dei Cordici has been closed. Although the sacred structure has not suffered direct damage, the safety of the faithful remains the priority.
The timeframe is set for March 3, the date on which the historic celebration of the miracle of 1799 is celebrated. In the coming weeks, an assessment will be made of whether the safety conditions are right to reopen the doors of the Sanctuary, but at this time, any predictions are premature.
The specter of bureaucracy
As one of the homes located in the urbanized area is anxiously monitored, a feeling is spreading among the population that goes beyond the fear of collapse: distrust in the reconstruction timeframe. "Considering the lengthy Italian bureaucracy for public works," some residents comment bitterly, "there's a real risk that it will be years before everything returns to normal." A concern as heavy as the 4 cubic meters of landslide.
Source EDITORIAL TEAM
Comments (1)
The situation in Torraca is very complex and worries me greatly. The landslide is serious, and I hope the emergency works can resolve it quickly, but the bureaucracy is a major problem and raises concerns for the future.