The situation in East Flanders remains critical on the Leie, the Dender and various non-navigable waterways. This is what the cabinet of Governor Carina Van Cauter said after the provincial consultation. Public street lighting will remain on on Wednesday in the center and south of East Flanders so that citizens and emergency workers can travel safely.
The watercourse managers are taking all possible measures, the governor says. “Due to the high low water levels caused by tidal action and the increased discharge towards the sea, the drainage of the non-navigable watercourses via the navigable ones is made more difficult. This puts pressure on the levels on the non-navigable watercourses, especially where they flow into the navigable watercourses at risk of additional critical flooding.”
The situation remains critical on the Leie, downstream towards Deinze and Ghent, on the Dender in Geraardsbergen, Ninove and Aalst, and on various non-navigable waterways such as in Wichelen, Erpe-Mere and Melle. The fire brigade services remain present on the site, the province reports.
“Additional pumps are deployed where necessary and sandbags are supplied with the support of Civil Protection. The public street lighting will remain on until this night (in the center and south of East Flanders), so that everyone (residents, security services, watercourse managers) is safe can hit the road.” The provincial coordination committee will meet again at 6 p.m.
Region Ghent
In Ghent, the water of the Leie is still very high in the sub-municipalities of Drongen, Afsnee and Sint-Denijs-Westrem, which means that the Keiskant sports hall in Drongen is being prepared for a possible evacuation. “A slight increase in the water level in the Drongen-Afsnee region is expected by Thursday afternoon, after which the water level would drop according to current forecasts. We ask everyone to pay attention when traveling, not to drive on flooded streets and to follow road diversions. follow,” says Ghent mayor Mathias De Clercq.
