Erbitterter Streit im Giessbachtobel | Überschwemmungsschutz Wildwasser (2/2) | Reportage | SRF

For 30 years, mountain farmer Peter Ott and the authorities have been in a bitter dispute: In the Giessbach Gorge, the Giessbach stream repeatedly erodes pieces of Ott's land. A comprehensive stream damming project would be too expensive for the canton – so the farmer is doing it himself. And this has already landed him in prison three times. The Giessbach stream, a torrent on Mount Pilatus, forms the property boundary of Peter Ott's mountain farm for a length of 600 meters: a deep ravine into which erosion repeatedly causes pieces of Peter Ott's land to collapse. For the responsible canton, damming the stream would cost millions, a disproportionate amount simply because of the small mountain farm. So, over 30 years ago, the Schwarzenberg farmer began damming the stream himself to stabilize the slopes. But the authorities say this violates the law. Ott has been imprisoned three times in recent decades, sometimes for months – partly because he had taken trees from neighboring forests for his construction projects. During this time, the police brought twelve excavators from the farmer, the last of which was in January 2018, and even more chainsaws. All parties involved are convinced that they are acting correctly in this conflict – the result is a failure of reason, as author Beat Bieri notes: In three decades, it has not been possible to strike a balance between the mountain farmer's legitimate need to protect himself from land loss and the state's right to enforce its rules. NEW DOCUMENTARIES AND REPORTS EVERY WEEK ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 🔔 Subscribe to SRF Dok now on YouTube and activate the bell: https://www.youtube.com/srfdok?sub_co... 👇 More on documentaries & reports can be found here: 👥 SRF Dok on Facebook: https://fb.com/srfdok 🎧 More stories to listen to: https://www.srf.ch/audio/themen/mensc... 👀 More documentaries on Play SRF: https://www.srf.ch/play/tv/themen/dokus ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Channel information: The SRF Documentaries & Reports teams report factually, avoid scripted reality, and are committed to journalistic integrity. The editorial team's motto: We show life in all its nuances. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SRF's Social Media Netiquette: ► https://www.srf.ch/social-netiquette #SRFDok #Reportage #SRF