Following heavy rains on Tuesday and Wednesday, the flood warning threshold was again breached on several rivers in Flanders, specifically the Lys, the Dender, and the Durme.
According to Thursday morning data from Waterinfo.be, the Lys and the Dender have exceeded safety protection levels. However, their flow rates are either stabilising or slightly receding. Conversely, Durme’s water level is still high and poses an increased flood risk in certain areas.
In Werchter, a town in the province of Flemish Brabant, the water level of the Dyle has the potential for a marginal rise, which might also keep it on flood alert.
"We need to remain cautious," explains Pascal Mormal of the IRM, adding that most of the heavy rain has passed, but rivers are reacting with a time lag.
Nicolas Yernaux, from the Walloon Public Service, explained to La Libre that there are still concerns downstream of the basins.
"We are seeing major flows on the major rivers, such as the Haute Meuse, with 900 cubic metres per second. That's the equivalent of an Olympic swimming pool filling up in three seconds," Yernaux said. "In comparison, during the summer period, we're talking about 30 cubic metres per second."
Aerial drone image shows floods from the Dender after heavy rainfall in Zandbergen, Geraardsbergen on Wednesday 03 January 2024. Credit: Belga / Kurt Desplenter
In Wallonia, the south of the province of Luxembourg and the Hautes Fagnes will be closely monitored.
The levels of the Semois and Sûre rivers, in particular, continue to rise. Their peak is expected by Thursday afternoon at the latest, with a slow decline thereafter. The town of Bouillon holds the Walloon record for rainfall: 160 litres per square metre over the past fortnight.
Although further rain is expected on Thursday and Friday, they are not expected to escalate the situation significantly but continued caution is underlined.
An end to travel chaos?
The bad weather of the last few days is still causing some disruption in Wallonia and Flanders, rail network operator Infrabel and Flemish public transport company De Lijn announced on Thursday morning.
Trains were running normally on Thursday morning in the Brussels Region and in Flanders despite the bad weather of the last few days, said Infrabel spokesman Frédéric Petit.
In Wallonia, on the other hand, the flooding of the Mellier River is threatening the stability of a railway bridge at Léglise (in the province of Luxembourg), on line 162 linking Brussels to Arlon.
Infrabel's technical teams were due to carry out a technical assessment of the bridge this morning to ensure its stability. This assessment will determine whether the trains linking Libramont to Marbehan will be able to resume service. At present, shuttle buses run between the two stations.
Credit: Belga / Gerard Gaudin
Buses operated by the Flemish public transport company De Lijn encountered a number of problems on Thursday morning due to the bad weather, mainly in East Flanders, the Brussels suburbs and the Flemish Ardennes.
As a result, some stops are not being served and some lines have been shortened. De Lijn advises its users to check the application or the website.
The yellow alert issued by the IRM for the provinces of Liège, Namur and Luxembourg remained in force until Thursday morning.
