In the southern Swiss canton of Valais, long stretches of wooden water canals can be seen clinging to the arid south-facing mountain slopes, supplying urgently needed melt and spring water for crops in this rain-starved area. Some of these channels date back to the Middle Ages, and people risked their lives to construct them. In Torrent Neuf, above the village of Savièse, the channels have been lovingly restored. (Julie Hunt, swissinfo.ch 27.08.2009)