Belgium Water Scarcity Grows After Driest July on Record

Belgium is coping with one of the driest months on record as its two main regions struggle with the effects of water scarcity. The Royal Meteorological Institute (KMI) counted only two rain days in July—against a typical average of 14.3—and less than 10 millimetres of rain for the entire month, VRT NWS reported. Wallonia has kept all of its drought restrictions in force, while experts question whether Flanders’ flagship Blue Deal programme offers enough protection.

Context

Water policy in Belgium is organised regionally. Flanders relies on the Drought Committee and a colour-coded alert system, while Wallonia convenes a risk-coordination cell and issues ministerial orders. Both systems came under strain this month: on 16 July, the Flemish Drought Committee declared code orange—a “phase of effective water scarcity” and the second-highest alert level, VRT NWS reported. At the time, roughly 70 percent of Flemish groundwater monitoring points registered low to very low levels for the time of year, and smaller watercourses had dropped to ecologically critical flows.

Developments

Under code orange, Flanders imposed a pumping ban on non-navigable waterways and began using locks on navigable routes more sparingly, grouping ships and pumping water back upstream. Provincial pumping bans in West Flanders, Limburg and Antwerp had already preceded the central decision. Drinking water remains under code yellow, meaning no supply shortage is expected; Environment Minister Jo Brouns said water companies are “better armed against prolonged drought today than a few years ago.”

Wallonia has maintained its restrictions on outdoor water activities. The Walloon risk-coordination cell met on 30 July and decided to keep every measure taken the previous week, saying forecast showers would not durably improve the situation, RTBF reported. Kayaking, navigation and fishing remain restricted on most non-navigable watercourses to protect aquatic habitats weakened by low water. Nature Minister Anne-Catherine Dalcq had already banned fishing in those waterways from 18 July, RTBF noted, while fishing stays allowed in the Meuse, the Sambre and the Eau d’Heure lakes. Fire-risk rules remain in force in forests and natural areas, and swimming at Lac de Bambois near Namur has been banned after a bacterium was detected in the water.

The Blue Deal debate

The second thread in this story is the performance of the Blue Deal, the Flemish government’s water-security programme launched in 2020. Its measures include smarter soil management by farmers, de-paving and greening built-up areas, interconnecting drinking-water companies, re-meandering river valleys and restoring wetlands. The Coordination Committee for Integrated Water Policy (CIW) describes the programme as “a compass for a water-wise Flanders,” and a second generation—Blue Deal 2.0—was launched on 14 July 2025 under Minister Brouns, with area-based coalitions, “sponge goals” and water-security targets for the whole of Flanders by early 2027.

Hydrologists agree the direction is right but insist the scale and pace are insufficient. “Without the Blue Deal, we would be worse off,” said Patrick Willems, professor of hydrology at KU Leuven. “But the places where work has already been done are still just dots on the map of Flanders, and progress is somewhat slow.” He added that climate change is “moving faster than the pace at which we are taking action.”

Niko Verhoest, professor of hydrology at Ghent University, is more critical: “Here and there the result of the Blue Deal is visible, but it is very local. We are still far from where we need to be.” He questioned why football pitches are still watered in summer “when that water could be better used elsewhere.”

Funding is a growing point of contention. VRT’s analysis notes the Blue Deal budget fell from more than 500 million euros to around 330 million euros, even as the article puts Blue Deal 2.0’s planned budget at 430 million euros for the rest of the legislature; nature groups called the lower figure “incomprehensibly low.” Benjamin Clarysse, director of Bond Beter Leefmilieu (Friends of the Earth Flanders), said every euro invested in nature “yields 8 euros for society” and urged the government to keep the summer heat in mind during upcoming budget talks.

What’s Next

With August and September still ahead, hydrologists see no rapid relief. “The summer is far from over,” Willems warned. Both experts stress that Belgium was late to act and that the Blue Deal will be a multi-decade effort. The coming weeks will test the resilience of both regions, while the autumn budget talks may determine whether the programme gets the money needed to catch up with a warming climate.