The water level in the Yser is dropping ten centimetres daily due to the dryer weather, although it remains to be seen what the impact from incoming rain would be.
The worst case could see Fintele (Lo-Reninge) exceed flood warning thresholds, observers say.
“A relatively dry spell in recent days and continuous efforts from water managers and emergency services mean the Yser's levels keep decreasing,” West Flanders province said in a statement on Monday. This daily average shrinkage of around 10 centimetres has restored some water-buffer capacity.
Western Flanders expected 5 to 15 litres of rainfall per square meter on Monday, according to the Royal Meteorological Institute’s forecast. The most pessimistic weather model predicted peaks of up to 30 litres per m2 in Westhoek.
However, an additional ten litres of rainfall should, in principle, have little effect on the decreasing trend. The crisis cell emphasises that the winter dyke is fully functional and constantly monitored. An infiltration was observed on Saturday but was quickly resolved using an amphibious crane.
The situation remains under control in the Heulebeek area, too. Some small pumps remain in place for now, and the emergency dyke hastily erected in Ledeghem is holding.
In Westhoek, the pumping facilities will remain operative until at least the end of the week, including those currently unused. In the meantime, firefighters will resume normal operations, as flood-related interventions are decreasing.
