The Blue Deal in practice

In 2020, the Flemish government launched the Blue Deal, an investment programme to significantly increase water availability in Flanders. A concrete part of this consists of additional resources for the VLM's Water-Land-Scape Land Development Project. These are intended to ensure that more water infiltrates into the soil in dozens of rural areas and that the groundwater is replenished, that nature dries out less quickly and that more water remains available for agriculture. A concrete project will be carried out at this location from 2023 onwards.

The Biezeweidebeek now forms a very narrow, shallow canal just behind the houses of the Biezeweide district in Beersel. By diverting this stream to the lowest point in the valley and widening it, more space for water buffering is created in this flood-prone area. At the same time, ecological biodiversity will also be boosted through the natural design of the widened banks. Residents will also be able to enjoy this new piece of neighbourhood nature, via a mowed footpath along the banks of the stream.

This project proposal is the trigger for tackling the discharge of wastewater from the Biezeweide district into the Senne. Aquafin has a solution for this (installation of a mixed pumping station), which could be accelerated in conjunction with this project. To avoid frequent overflows, it is important that as little rainwater as possible ends up in the pumping station. To achieve this, the municipality will encourage the owners of the homes in the Biezeweidewijk to implement local measures (reuse and infiltration of rainwater). At the same time, efforts are also being made to maximise rainwater collection and infiltration in the public domain. To this end, we are currently looking at paving and the construction of canals along the existing roads. In this way, we can work towards a total approach to this area: water quality, water buffering, water infiltration, softening, ecology and experience.

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