Water pressure restored in Overijse, but tap-water ban remains

Water pressure restored in Overijse, but tap-water ban remains
Th ewater tower at Jezus-Eik. © Nicolas Maeterlinck/Belga

The sudden fall in water pressure in the commune of Overijse in Flemish Brabant that left some homes literally high and dry earlier in the week has now been repaired, water company De Watergroep reports.

However, with the prospect of a dry week to come, the province has reminded residents that the ban on non-essential use of tap-water remains in force in 42 municipalities.

Yesterday, the fire service had to distribute plastic containers of drinking water to some residents after the taps in their homes dried up.

In some cases, the problem was due to air in the pipes, which had to be urgently repaired by Watergroep engineers. In other cases, the problem was elsewhere.

The situation this morning is looking good,” said Kathleen De Schepper, spokesperson for De Watergroep. “We were able to fill the water tower in Jesus-Eik last night and the level in the reservoir in Meerbeek has also risen. So we do not expect any supply problems today. Everyone will have enough water, and with normal use there should also be sufficient pressure.”

However the temporary ban on the non-essential use of tap-water – for example for a children’s swimming pool or car-washing – introduced by provincial governor Lodewijk De Witte will remain in force for the time being.

All reservoirs and water towers are sufficiently filled at the moment, but it looks like it will remain dry next week so the ban will certainly remain in effect,” De Schepper said.

“We will be at the mercy of the drought in the coming weeks, and we will have to see what that does to water consumption. But as well as additional production capacity, we are also working on other solutions to create additional capacity in the area. For example, we are working on slightly longer connection pipelines with our neighbouring drinking-water suppliers, so that we can supply even more water to the province.”

Alan Hope

The Brussels Times


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