A technical fault at the Beggen water treatment plant caused huge amounts of wastewater to flow into the Alzette. The river was also polluted at a different location following an incident at a construction site in Bettembourg. Finally, a huge fire in the Gadderscheier industrial zone in Sanem/Differdange led to extinguishing water flowing into the Chiers, and polluting the river.
The parliamentary commissions on the environment and home affairs examined the incidents on Thursday. Minister for the Environment Carole Dieschbourg told MPs that each incident led to its own decree, accompanied by urgent measures to fix the pollution and detailed studies and reports to improve matters in the future. Whilst the reports are yet to be completed, the minister already stressed that the authorities must draw conclusions from these incidents and learn from mistakes.
She argued for a systematic approach, including regulatory checks in activity zones which would verify the standards of retention basins. Additionally, managers should receive better training and there should be sufficient amounts of extinguishing water available. Broadly, the minister stressed the need for improved communications between all actors involved in such incidents.
Continuing, Dieschbourg added that the Water Management Agency's control units should receive more powers to regulate and sanction businesses. As for the question of responsibility in the pollution cases, the minister stressed this would follow the conclusion of the studies.
At any rate, it will take some time before the rivers recover from these polluting incidents. Opposition party CSV, which called for the commission to meet, deplored that reports were still not complete and demanded more information on the ecological conditions of the Alzette and Chiers rivers.
The Sports Fishing Federation decided to create its own environment section in the autumn as a decision following the incidents in the summer. The section will systematically alert the Water Management Agency to pollution. This is due to the federation's status as an environmental protection organisation, a role the federation is keen to play its part in.
