In the coastal municipality of Nieuwpoort, Belgian companies will soon draw water from the sea to create clean drinking water.
While the technology to do this already exists, Belgian start-up HydroVolta is the only company in the world to have made the process cheaper and more ecological on a larger scale.
“Now, we are looking towards brackish and salt water. The sea is a kind of infinite reserve in long dry periods like this summer,” an innovation manager at the Farys water company said.
The project, in collaboration with three water companies, seeks to generate an extra four million cubic metres of water. Desalination is usually an energy-intensive and expensive process, limiting its practical applications.
But as climate change becomes an increasingly urgent problem, the utility of these projects is only expected to increase. In Dubai and Israel, water desalination is already happening on a large scale: Dubai draws around 90% of its water from desalination plants and Israel is aiming to reach the same target by 2023.
As Belgium is suffering from high levels of water stress and droughts – which are increasing in frequency – the drinking water situation in the country has become significantly more unstable. Additional volumes of clean drinking water would help Belgium during the tough, dry summer months.
What do you think? Will we all be drinking seawater soon? Let @Maatjee know.
Belgium in Brief is a free daily roundup of the top stories to get you through your lunch break conversations. To receive it straight to your inbox every day, sign up below:
1. Heat plans, extra breaks: How Belgium is tackling its latest heatwave
As Belgium will be experiencing a real heatwave in the coming days, various sectors are taking measures such as extra breaks and early closures to make the workload easier for the second time this summer. Read more.
2. Belgium to extract drinking water from the sea in 2026
In Nieuwpoort, Belgian companies will soon draw water from the sea in order to create clean drinking water. The technology to do this already exists, but Belgian start-up HydroVolta is the only company in the world to have made the process cheaper and more ecological on a larger scale. Read more.
3. One in four LGBTQ+ people have experienced physical violence
In the run-up to the Antwerp Pride this week, a survey of 400 LGBTQ+ people in Flanders showed that 25% of them had experienced physical violence due to their gender or sexual identity. Read more.
4. After two years of pandemic, Belgians no longer postponing holiday plans
In the first seven months of 2022, employees in Belgium again took more holidays than in the past two Covid-19 years, figures from HR service provider Acerta showed on Thursday. Read more.
5. Around 20 'serious' terrorism threats last year, right-wing extremism still rising
Last year, a total of 218 threat reports related to terrorism or extremism were made in Belgium, of which around one-tenth were considered serious at any given time, the annual report from the Coordination Unit for Threat Assessment (OCAD) showed. Read more.
6. Shooting stars expected above Belgium this evening
Look up to the skies. This evening, possibly thousands of shooting stars are expected to pass overhead. To see them best, escape the bright lights of the city and head to the countryside, free from light pollution and other distractions. Read more.
7. Hidden Belgium: Vrijdagmarkt
Here is where dealers sell off old office furniture from bankrupt firms, ornaments once cherished by someone’s grandmother, and plastic bin bags filled with miscellaneous junk. Read more.
