Freshwater - Outlook 2020 (Belgium)

SOER 2010 Common environmental theme (Deprecated)

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Topics: Water and marine environment

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Outlook concerning ecological and chemical status for surface water and a good quantitative and chemical status for groundwater in the Belgian regions

Topic: Freshwater

more info Organisation name NFP-Belgium Reporting country Belgium Organisation website Organisation website Contact link Contact link Last updated 22 Dec 2010 Content license CC By 2.5 Content provider

Published: 05 Nov 2010 Modified: 11 May 2020 Feed synced: 22 Dec 2010 original

Key message

Belgium still has a long way to go in order to achieve a good status by 2015

The 2000/60/EC directive requires integrated management of water by river basin district, and sets strict qualitative and quantitative objectives so that surface and groundwater can maintain or achieve a good status by 2015 (a good ecological and chemical status for surface water and a good quantitative and chemical status for groundwater). The Belgian territory is concerned by 4 international river basin districts (Scheldt, Meuse, Rhine and in a very small extent Seine).

At the current stage of the analysis, 62 % of the Belgian surface water bodies (348/559) run the risk of not achieving a good qualitative status by 2015. The problems are mainly in the district of the Scheldt and in certain sub-catchments in the Meuse district (e.g. Sambre and Vesdre for example). Regarding ground waters, the situation is quite similar in the sense that approximately 58 % of water bodies run the risk of not achieving a good chemical and quantitative status by 2015.

Failure to achieve a good (ecological and chemical) status in 2015 for surface waters (number of water bodies)
	Flemish Region	Walloon Region	Brussels Capital Region	Total
Risk	195	151	2	348
No Risk	7	203	1	211
Undetermined Risk	0	0	0	0
Total	202	354	3	559

Failure to achieve a good (chemical and quantitative) status in 2015 for ground waters (number of water bodies)
	Flemish Region	Walloon Region	Brussels Capital Region	Total
Risk	35	10	1	46
No Risk	7	23	4	34
Undetermined Risk	0	0	0	0
Total	42	33	5	80
Sources : VMM (Integraal Water Beleid - Vol van Water), SPW-DGARNE (directive-cadre eau), IBGE-BIM