A huge lake formed by a melting glacier above Pralognan-la-Vanoise could inundate the village – but a project is under way to stop it
The villagers of Pralognan-la-Vanoise in the French Alps know well the perils posed by the mountains that encircle them.
Avalanches, rockfalls, mudslides, sudden crevices and torrents of water are within the living memory of most villagers, and every day the climate emergency throws up new dangers.
Less than a year ago, an enormous lake formed by a melting glacier was discovered high above Pralognan that experts feared could inundate the village with more than 13,000 gallons of icy water.
Bernard Vion, a 66-year-old Alpine guide who has watched the expanse of water grow and the mountain change over his lifetime, said the region was on the frontline of the climate crisis but laughed when asked if he was worried. “I live just underneath the rocks and I sleep easy in my bed now as I did before,” he said. “People who live in the mountains have a resilience to natural dangers.”
