The acting mayor of Rochefort, Wallonia, has issued an order to local authorities to conserve water, following growing fears that the city may soon face shortages, according to the Belga news agency.
From 13 July, local residents will be prohibited from watering courtyards, lawns, gardens, trails, and vehicle parking areas. Watering of vegetables will be permitted, but only when carried out without hoses or sprinklers. People will no longer be able to clean their terraces, sidewalks, paths, streets, gutters, or vehicles with water from home. Residents will also be instructed not to fill swimming pools or fountains.
“The water catchment from Jemelle is weakened and no longer sufficient for the consumption of inhabitants,” explains Mayor Julien Defaux. “Reinforcement from the SWDE (Walloon Water Company) was necessary. The source of the Tridaine is also very limited. A well from the Rochefort abbey has been requisitioned to provide additional water supply.”
Belgium is experiencing increasingly long, dry periods that start earlier in the year. This has drastically depleted groundwater levels across the country. Many major cities are drawing over 80% of water from replenishable sources each year. Research from the World Resource Institute (WRI) has concluded that Belgium was the 23rd most likely country to experience drinking water shortages in the world.
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Temperatures have been steadily rising over the last few weeks, with a new European heatwave expected to arrive within the next few weeks, only exacerbating Belgium’s water instability further.
“These measures were preventative when I took them on Monday, but we are already no longer in prevention, given the evolution of the situation,” the mayor explained. The regional administration will now be able to dish out fines to those who violate water saving measures.
Under Defaux’s predecessor, Corine Mullens, recommendations had already been issued calling for greater voluntary reductions in water use in line with advice issued by the municipal technical service.
