Limburg joins forces to ensure sufficient fresh water

With this broad collaboration, the parties are taking an important step toward combating freshwater shortages. This is necessary in order to better prepare Limburg for the changing climate and to use the available freshwater in Limburg more carefully.

Joint action required

The availability of fresh water in Limburg is coming under increasing pressure. Climate change, increasing drought, particularly during the summer months, and growing demand for water from the economy and the population all play a role. Research shows that the current measures are not sufficient to ensure an adequate supply of clean water. Only through cross-sector cooperation can we ensure that water in Limburg remains available for residents, agriculture, industry, and nature.

The shared ambition to ensure sufficient fresh water and to better prepare Limburg for the changing climate requires a long-term effort. Climate extremes, such as drought and heavy rainfall, show that water management in Limburg needs to be structurally adapted. This is a radical change. That is why the parties have opted for a step-by-step approach towards 2050, in which a climate-resilient water system will be built up in various implementation periods. The long time horizon does not mean postponement: it is a conscious choice to make room for sustainable, structural solutions. With the signing of this covenant, all parties involved are starting this process.

Clear goals and lasting cooperation

The collaborating parties are working towards an implementation program with concrete measures. In this program, the parties describe which actions will be carried out in the coming years, how progress will be monitored, and how joint adjustments can be made. The goals for 2050 are ambitious: raising the groundwater level by 10 to 50 cm in many places and reducing water consumption by approximately 20%. This requires conscious choices, such as more water-conscious use of space, better water retention, and careful water consumption. Technical innovations, landscape adjustments, and conscious water use by residents and businesses are essential in this regard. Where flooding already occurs, the groundwater level will of course not be raised further.

Working together on the future

We in Limburg must take action now to ensure sufficient water in the future. Only by working together and continuing to innovate can we prepare Limburg for the consequences of drought and climate change.

says Michael Theuns, Deputy for Water for the Province of Limburg.

Josette Van Wersch, director at the Limburg Water Board, also emphasizes the importance of cooperation: 

With this covenant, we are taking the first step together toward the implementation program. In it, we will have to make choices together: how we use space, retain water, and limit consumption. Participation in the covenant is voluntary, but of course not entirely without obligation. Only in this way can we preserve scarce freshwater and work toward our goals for 2050.