2024-01-03 12:16:00
It was therefore once once more totally disillusioned that local residents saw the extent of the damage last night. “The situation has been going on for many years,” confides Didier Galot, resident of rue Lait Beurré in Houdeng. “The problem persists because of one farmer’s inaction. Last year he claimed our flooding problems were due to trash being stored out back. The City of La Louvière then intervened to remove all this waste. The problem, however, did not come from there but from its field. Last July, heavy rains once more caused flooding. The mayor of La Louvière, Jacques Gobert, then issued an order to install straw bales at the edge of the field and thus slow down the water.”
In this Liège commune, we are preparing for the worst: sandbags distributed, “the levels of two rivers are worrying”
A solution that has its limits
A solution which is bearing fruit even if it proves to be insufficient during bad weather similar to that of this Tuesday. “Our gardens and terraces have been flooded once more. Fortunately, the water did not enter our homes. A more lasting solution must be found to resolve our problem. A temporary immersion zone would be planned but we do not know when it will be able to see the light of day since an expropriation is necessary to build it. It’s urgent ! If one of the straw bales were to give way, waves 3-4 meters high would fall on us. We are ready to go to court alongside the City so that the problem is resolved quickly,” continues Didier Galot.
Local residents are not the only ones fighting body and soul once morest this problem, on the City’s side, the fight has also been going on for many years. “The problem of the residents of rue Lait Beurré is indeed not new. Several years ago, I met the farmer and the local residents to try to reach a conciliation. Unfortunately, the discussions were unsuccessful,” explains Jacques Gobert, mayor of La Louvière (PS). “I then issued an order for straw bales to be placed on the field. An initiative which has also borne fruit. You just need to see the amount of water that is retained behind them to realize its effectiveness.”
For his part, the farmer would have hired a lawyer. However, no urgent procedure was taken following this order. A more sustainable solution is now underway. “We contacted a design office in the Province of Hainaut, specialized in flooding problems, to develop a storm basin. To be able to develop it, we must carry out an expropriation of part of the field. These steps will therefore take time. It takes at least one or even two years,” concludes Jacques Gobert.
The City is therefore continuing its fight once morest its floods but is asking local residents for a little time to see all its efforts succeed.
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