Switzerland Seeks Innovative Solutions for Retrieving Munitions from Lakes

Switzerland is forging ahead with an unorthodox initiative that combines ecological stewardship and public collaboration. The Swiss Federal Department of Defence Procurement (Armasuisse) is offering financial incentives totaling 50,000 Swiss francs ($57,800) for the top three proposals to safely and sustainably extract roughly 12,000 tonnes of historical munitions from the depths of Swiss lakes, such as Lake Thun, Lake Brienz, and Lake Lucerne.

From the end of the First World War until the mid-1960s, the Swiss military, in an effort to deal with excess and defective ammunition stocks, resorted to disposing of them in the country's water bodies. The strategy, also employed by other nations, was a byproduct of an era with less stringent environmental regulations and a dearth of alternative disposal methods.

Such underwater caches, though historically considered isolated from environmental interference, pose a growing concern. Beyond the potential for water and soil contamination by toxic substances like trinitrotoluene (TNT), the longevity of the munitions' fuses raises fears of possible detonation, overshadowing Swiss waters with the specter of unforeseen explosions.

Past efforts to tackle this submerged problem have faltered due to the ecological sensitivity of these lake environments and technical challenges such as limited visibility and the risk of disturbing explosive materials. Furthermore, the detection of munitions made from non-magnetic materials has proven particularly troublesome, impeding accurate location and recovery.

Armasuisse's latest call for action looks to crowdsource a solution, engaging with experts and innovators from both academia and industry. The sought-after proposals should embody environmental friendliness and safety, not intended for immediate execution but rather as groundwork for future research or potentially as pilot projects.

The deadline for idea submission extends until February 2025, with the successful entrants to be publicized in April of that year. The Swiss government anticipates that the full-scale operation could cost billions of francs, underlining the significance of discovering cost-effective, yet efficient recovery methods.

As Switzerland delves deeper into its lacustrine armaments legacy, the initiative demonstrates a recognition of ecological responsibility intertwined with the necessity to neutralize potential threats lingering beneath the pristine waters of Swiss lakes.