Rising water and climate change: Belgium faces a new reality of water

Longer droughts, more intense rain, floods, erosion and rising sea levels: in Belgium, climate change is gradually upending our relationship with water. A paradox emerges: we must now learn to manage too much water and not enough water at the same time.

For a long time, managing water in Belgium mainly meant removing the excess: pipes, sewers, ditches, rivers, pumping stations and storm basins. But the climate is changing. Official projections point to a rise in pluvial, fluvial and coastal flood risks, while droughts grow longer. On one side, soils short of water; on the other, rainfall capable of bringing considerable volumes in a few hours.

When exceptional rain falls on already saturated ground, water finds its way: it runs off roads, car parks and impermeable land, collects in low points and enters cellars, garages and buildings below road level. Drainage networks also have limited capacity. In Wallonia, flood risk includes watercourse overflow and concentrated runoff.

With a short but densely occupied coastline, Belgium watches sea level closely. Its gradual rise amplifies the consequences of storms and puts protection works under pressure. Climate change is not only about Walloon valleys: the Belgian coast is directly concerned.

It is one of the most paradoxical aspects of climate disruption: some regions face floods, other periods are marked by water shortage. Wallonia already experiences droughts affecting water availability, farming and ecosystems. The aim can no longer be to remove water as fast as possible: it must also be harvested, stored, slowed, infiltrated and reused.

In this context, the tank takes on a new dimension. It no longer only saves drinking water for toilets, washing machine or watering: it plays a part in rainwater management. A volume stored temporarily does not reach the network immediately. For one home the effect is limited; multiplied by thousands of buildings, the logic changes.

A simple logic guides design: harvest, slow, infiltrate, drain, protect. It applies to a detached house as much as to a business, a block of flats, an industrial site or public infrastructure: rainwater tanks, retention basins, infiltration systems, drains and drainage networks, lifting stations, backup pumps, level alarms, non-return valves, suitable networks.

The consequences of climate change do not stop at watercourses: infiltration, rising water, damp, fluctuating water tables, ground movement, saturated networks. The first reflex should be preventive. A properly sized pumping installation protects a cellar or plant room below drainage level — provided it is designed for the building: potential volume, head, pipe diameter, pressure losses, power supply, alarm and possibly a backup system.

The expected changes require us to gradually rethink our infrastructure. Municipalities, businesses, owners and individuals will have to anticipate the movements of water more. The national climate risk report stresses that Belgian municipalities remain vulnerable several years after the major floods of 2021. Prevention and adaptation are long-term issues.

On the ground, these changes already translate into new challenges. At Weber Water, water management means studying and installing suitable solutions: pumps, lifting stations, tanks, rainwater harvesting, pipework, drainage, alarm systems and safety devices. It is not just about reacting when the water is there, but about understanding its path before it arrives.

More pressure from heavy rain, increased risk of flooding and sea level rise, potentially longer droughts, a growing need to harvest and store water, the need to adapt buildings and infrastructure, the importance of pumping, lifting and protection systems.

"The future of water will probably be neither one of abundance nor one of scarcity: it will be one of adaptation."