Although there are currently no problems with the drinking water supply, Flemish Minister for the Environment and Agriculture Jo Brouns (CD&V) is calling on residents, farmers, businesses and public authorities to use water very sparingly, so that additional measures can be avoided in the future. This emerged on Thursday following the meeting of the Flemish Drought Commission.
The committee met today to discuss the current situation. As there has been hardly any rainfall in recent weeks and uncertainty remains high for the rest of the month, pressure on water supplies is continuing to mount. “The tap won’t run dry tomorrow, but the drought is becoming more visible every day,” says Minister Brouns. “We are seeing low water levels, falling groundwater levels and increasing pressure on our water reserves. Anyone who uses water sparingly today is helping to prevent the need for stricter and binding measures. That is why we are asking everyone to avoid any form of water wastage.”
Specifically, people are being asked to save water wherever possible, repair leaks, use rainwater where feasible and avoid unnecessary water consumption.
People are being asked to save water wherever possible, repair leaks, use rainwater where possible and avoid unnecessary water consumption.
The so-called drinking water status indicator is at code yellow, which corresponds to a state of heightened vigilance. Water consumption is currently higher than normal for this time of year. Water companies and operators are monitoring the situation closely. In particular, the availability of water from the Meuse requires extra attention, they say.
As the expected rainfall has failed to materialise and water levels continue to fall, code orange remains in force.
In mid-July, Flanders escalated its drought alert from code yellow to code orange. This means that Flanders has since been in a phase of actual water scarcity and that measures are no longer purely local or preventative. Since 16 July, these measures have been coordinated at the Flemish level by the Drought Commission. The Commission will continue to monitor the situation closely over the coming weeks. If the drought persists, any additional measures will be considered and communicated.
