5 years after floods, Limburg better armed against inundation

Five years after a "water bomb" caused severe flooding across the region, Limburg province in Belgium has undertaken significant measures to enhance its preparedness for future inundation events. Both the Maas River valley and the Voerstreek area have seen landscape modifications aimed at preventing a repeat of the 2021 disaster.

Michel Carlier, director of Emergency Planning for the province of Limburg, stated that while the region is now better equipped, complete certainty against flooding remains elusive. In July 2021, heavy rainfall over Wallonia triggered widespread flooding, with Limburg in Flanders experiencing significant impacts, leading to disaster recognition in 14 municipalities.

“

Op 3 plekken gaan we het water van de Voer bufferen en vervolgens verdelen over andere waterlopen.

Since then, numerous projects have been completed in Limburg to avert future floods. The Voerstreek, which has suffered from water-related issues in 2018, 2021, and again in 2024, incurred over 10 million euros in damages in the latter year alone, affecting approximately 300 homes. Measures include widening the Berwijn River in Voeren's center, with works on the winter bed starting last year. Flemish Minister of Environment Brouns emphasized the need for upstream investments in Wallonia, a sentiment echoed by Voeren Mayor Joris Gaens, who highlighted cooperation with Walloon neighboring municipalities to create additional retention basins.

Additionally, three water buffers have been established around several sub-municipalities of Voeren, Veld, Schophem, and Meulenberg, designed to collectively hold 30,000 cubic meters of water. Minister Brouns explained that these buffers will manage and redistribute water from the Voer river to other waterways, creating more space for water in the valley. In the Maas valley, efforts to give the river more space have been ongoing since the 1990s. Works on the Heerenlaakplas, a former passage that frequently filled with silt during high water, began last year to increase its capacity as a buffer. A new inlet will allow water from the Maas to flow more quickly into the plas, potentially lowering water levels upstream by up to 20 centimeters.

“

Het scheelde weinig of het had toen veel erger kunnen aflopen.