2024-02-14 17:19:00
The discovery of an abissage canal, in the Prés aux Tamballes, in Cierreux (Gouvy) led to a vast rehabilitation project carried out with the dual objective of preserving this ancestral irrigation technique and making it known via a trail. didactic. A technique recognized last December as UNESCO intangible heritage.
It is Pierre Luxen, agricultural engineer, former director of the non-profit organization Agra-Ost, who is at the origin of this project. “I discovered, somewhat by chance, this sinking canal. It was created around 1870 and had not been used since the First World War. This traditional irrigation technique has been practiced in the Ardennes since the Middle Ages. It made it possible to improve fodder production by providing water and warming the soil.”
Rehabilitation work, on 8 hectares of land belonging to the Otreppe family, began in 2013. “The canal was invaded by vegetation. A system of gates was installed to irrigate the peerage with some of the river water. This type of irrigation relies on the strategic use of gravity and manually constructed systems. This work, which cost €20,000, was fully subsidized by the Walloon Region,” continues Pierre Luxen.
Management was entrusted to a regional farmer based on specifications. Biodiversity is therefore very diverse. The meadows have been recognized as a site of great biological interest. A conservation orchard with old varieties has been planted nearby. The meadow is, moreover, dotted with gold panning mounds, vestiges of the search for gold flakes in the river. These are mounds located along the watercourse, made up of gravel which has been “washed” and thrown into piles by gold prospectors.
Preserving this ancient cultural practice is one thing, making it known to as many people as possible is another. The municipality of Gouvy will tackle this in collaboration with the tourist office. “We want to create an educational trail,” explains the alderman for the works, Michel Marenne. This trail will run along the Prés aux Tamballes and will reveal the particularities of the abissage technique but also the richness of biodiversity, the conservation orchard and gold panning.”
The presentation of this remarkable site took place this Wednesday in the presence of aldermen Michel Marenne and Isabelle Lemaire Santos, Pierre Luxen and Violette Pignon, employee at the Gouvy tourist office. The date for the implementation of the tourism and educational project has not yet been set.
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