Landslide Bondo returns to normality with new protective structures
The roofs of Bondo.
Image: Keystone
An enlarged debris basin protects Bondo from renewed mudslides.
Image: Keystone
View of the Bondo landslide village in Bergell and the debris basin that was built after the devastating landslide and subsequent debris flows.
Image: Keystone
The roofs of Bondo.
Image: Keystone
An enlarged debris basin protects Bondo from renewed mudslides.
Image: Keystone
View of the Bondo landslide village in Bergell and the debris basin that was built after the devastating landslide and subsequent debris flows.
Image: Keystone
The major landslide in the Graubünden mountain village of Bondo in 2017 triggered a host of remediation and protection projects. The final work will be completed at the end of the summer and the village of Bergell will return to normality.
16.03.2025, 09:01
SDA
The completion of the flood protection work will be celebrated in Bondo on September 12. The CHF 53 million project began in 2021 and included the construction of protective dams, new bridges and the expansion of the retention basin for debris flows.
For the municipality of Bergell and its 1500 inhabitants, it is "the project of the century". This is how Ueli Weber, vice-municipal president of the valley municipality of Bergell, to which Bondo belongs, describes the "+Bondo II" reconstruction project. The landslide on Piz Cengalo and the resulting debris flows in August 2017 took the lives of eight hikers, burying and destroying houses, bridges and roads.
Now the mega construction site, which began in September 2021, is nearing completion. "All hydraulic engineering work has been completed. This means that the entire flood protection project is complete," Weber, who heads the municipal infrastructure department, told the Keystone-SDA news agency.
Roads raised, bridges built
Roads have been raised by several meters, three new bridges have been built and the debris retention basin can now hold more material than before. For the residents of Bondo and the surrounding villages, this means greater protection against natural hazards.
Over the next few months, the terraced gardens along the dam on the Bondo side will be completed and the new post bus stop at the entrance to the village will be built. The pedestrian suspension bridge above Bondo will be dismantled. "It will be reinstalled in Val Bondasca and will provide access to the mountain pastures in Lera and the spring water infrastructure," explained the deputy mayor.
The total costs for the protective and safety structures amount to CHF 53 million, eleven million more than initially estimated. Due to the pandemic and the war in Ukraine, prices skyrocketed, leading to a shortage of materials. The municipality is paying 14 million francs of this. The remainder is split equally between the canton and the federal government.
"We have to make progress"
In recent years, Bondo and the surrounding villages have had to deal with various inconveniences caused by this huge project. "It is important for me to mention the enormous patience and understanding of the population, who have been exposed to noise and dust. That cannot be taken for granted," emphasized Weber.
This final construction phase marks the end of a decade which, according to the vice-municipal president, paralysed the development of the municipality and put its organization to the test. In fact, Bondo had already been hit by a mudslide in 2012, which resulted in construction work. In 2017, over three million cubic meters of rock came loose from Piz Cengalo - the volume of around 3,000 single-family homes.
Involved right from the start
Ueli Weber, a civil engineer and economist, has been involved in the reconstruction project from the very beginning. "Together with my wife, we came to Bergell seven years ago. We signed the contract for our house in Soglio a week before the landslide." A special coincidence for Weber, who seems predestined to oversee the restoration work.
After so many years of work, it is now time to turn over a new leaf. "We have to look to the future. We can focus on that again and tackle other important projects. I am convinced that our municipality has great potential for a positive future for generations to come. We have it in our own hands," he said.
A toast to normality
It is a new beginning that deserves to be celebrated. On September 12, 2025, the municipality is planning a celebration to mark the completion of the reconstruction work, which will increase safety for the residents of Bondo and the surrounding villages. The Director of the Federal Office for the Environment, Katrin Schneeberger, is expected to attend. Glasses in hand, they will toast the complete return to normality in Bregaglia.
