Photo:ANDREA MEROLA/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
ANDREA MEROLA/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
Photos taken throughout the day showed gondoliers and boaters wading through the bright green waters near several landmarks.
The governor of Italy’s Veneto region, where the city is located, Luca Zaia, tweeted on Monday that the Regional Agency for Environmental Protection and Prevention of Veneto (ARPAV) tested the green substance in the water and identified it as fluorescein.
He went on to explain that the substance was an organic compound commonly used for water inspections or in caving anddid not pose a threatto the canal’s ecosystem of flora or fauna.
He did not disclose how the substance may have gotten into the water or if the government has any idea who may have introduced it.
Italian Firefighters (Vigili del Fuoco) / Handout/Anadolu Agency via Getty
Zaia expressed his worry that the incident could encourage copycats, who may want to pollute the canal on purpose. Investigators had originally looked into the possibility that climate change activists had a hand in the change, according to local outlet La Nuova Venezia.
“Unfortunately, Venice has become the stage for actions far beyond the lines: adequate and strong responses are needed,” Zaiawroteon Twitter.
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The ARPAV will be conducting further tests to determine just how much of the substance was added to the water, according to CNN.
The water in Venice’s canals also changed color in 1968, when Argentine eco-artist Nicolas Garcia Uriburu poured a green dye in the same area of the Grand Canal to promote environmental awareness, the outlet reports.
source: people.com
