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“Driven by strong winds, the sea level rose to 1.56m above normal on Monday, submerging nearly all of the city, including St Mark’s Square, officials said.

It was the highest “acqua alta”, or high water, since it reached 1.58m in 1986.

“The residents who live on the ground floor are pumping out the water from their houses with buckets. The water is highly polluted and is beginning to smell, as well as leaving behind rubbish of all kinds on the street as the water levels decrease,” she said. ”

Venice

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Experts say the severity and frequency of floods is becoming worse due to silt deposits raising the floor of the lagoon and a rise in sea levels caused by global warming.

After years of argument and indecision, Venice has started building a system of moveable barriers to control the inflow of water from the Adriatic Sea, but it is not expected to be finished until 2012.

Bad weather has affected much of Italy in recent days, with snow storms in the north, heavy rain in Umbria and Tuscany and thunder storms over Rome and as far south as Sicily.

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