The NGO River Cleanup carried out a major cleaning action on Thursday in Mouland, a locality in the commune of Fourons, at the request of the Flemish Environment Agency (VMM). This is where the Berwinne River burst its banks last month, bringing a lot of waste onto the land. The hundred volunteers present collected at least 1.5 tonnes of waste during the first day of cleaning.
Heavy rainfall affected the commune of Fourons during the night of May 17 to 18, leading to flooding which particularly affected the center of Mouland. The municipal council described this event as “the biggest floods ever known” in the history of the locality.
Due to a lot of waste left behind by the recession, the Flemish Environment Agency (VMM) called the NGO River Cleanup to coordinate a large-scale clean-up operation. From the first day of action, Thursday, at least 1.5 tonnes of rubbish were collected. A second action will follow in October or November.
Bad weather: start-up of construction site dryers in Les Fourons
Extreme weather events, such as the precipitation that triggered the floods in Les Fourons, are becoming more and more frequent due to climate change caused by human activity.
Work should prevent the Fourons level crossing from being flooded again
The railway network manager Infrabel will carry out work until June 16 on the Fourons level crossing so that it is better protected in the event of flooding, he announced on Friday.
On May 17, the passage was flooded for the fourth time in ten years after another sudden flood of the Berwinne. The overflow put a kilometer of railway tracks under water and the railway infrastructure was seriously damaged. “We have taken additional measures which allow the railway infrastructure to be protected against future floods,” explains Infrabel spokesperson Frédéric Petit.
Thousands of tonnes of ballast – a bed of stones which acts as a shock absorber for the track – were also washed away by the recent floods. The ballast damaged the level crossing signal box and caused a short circuit in the installation after it was partially submerged.
During the project, the pouring of 5,000 tonnes of ballast will allow the track level to be raised by 30 centimeters, specifies Infrabel. The number of culverts, which allow water to pass from one side of the tracks to the other and prevent them from creating dams, will be doubled and their total surface area multiplied by four. The work will be carried out at the lowest point, where water accumulates.
Drainage, carried out via pipes parallel to the tracks, will also be improved and the arm of the Berwinne will be cleaned to accelerate the flow towards the Meuse. Secondly, the Infrabel teams will ensure better protection of the electronic equipment by raising it using piles.
The cost of the work is estimated at one million euros. “The work will be completed on Sunday June 16 at 6:00 p.m.,” specifies Frédéric Petit.
