A smell and traces of fuel oil in Eau Blanche in Chimay. The pollution in the river was discovered on Thursday. About 150 liters of fuel oil spilled following a burglary explains the mayor of Chimay, Denis Danvoye: “A robbery took place at a farm in the entity. The thieves notably severed the pipes of an oil tank. An arm of the river is nearby, and, inevitably, the fuel oil flowed there and ended up in the White Water a few hundred meters further.“
First, the municipal services and firefighters descended on the spot. A specialized company also went to the scene. Sausages have been placed at different points in the river to block pollution as much as possible. Fuel oil was also pumped to the source of the problem.
Repeated incidents
The Eau Blanche flows through the park of the Château de Chimay. For Anne Deroover, assistant to the Princes of Chimay, this is a tragedy for the park’s biodiversity: “We have extraordinary flora and fauna here. It is a protected space. It’s an entire ecosystem that is destabilized with an incident like this and it’s not the first time. The river has already been polluted following a tanker overturned”. Anne Deroover believes that we should be better prepared in the face of this kind of situation: “This experience should make politicians aware that it is necessary to better arm Chimay and all the other municipalities. Here, it’s as if we had put on a Tampax to soak up a hemorrhage, it’s not going well.“
For his part, the mayor, Denis Danvoye, speaks of a dramatic accident, difficult to anticipate. “Once the fuel oil has spread, there is only one thing you can do and that is try to stop its progress. The environmental police have also congratulated our municipal services for their responsiveness. “, specifies the mayor. He also adds that at this stage, the agents of the DNF (Department of Nature and Forests) believe that there would be no visible damage to the fauna. The situation will have to be reassessed. A police order has also been issued to prohibit farmers from taking water via pumping stations, as a precautionary measure.The municipal authorities are also awaiting an expert report on this subject.
