Venice mayor: Flood barriers a mistake

A government plan to build moveable flood barriers to protect the famous city of canals during high tides is a mistake, the mayor of Venice said Saturday.

The government has approved a $5.5 billion project to build hinged barriers in the seabed just off Venice. The barriers could be raised to ease the effect of high tides, which frequently flood St. Mark's Square.

The project is dubbed "Moses" after the Biblical figure who parted the Red Sea.

Some environmentalists have protested the plans, initially approved by former Premier Silvio Berlusconi's government, for fear the barriers could turn Venice into a stagnant pond by interfering with the natural flow of water.