Limburg Strengthens Cooperation for Water Safety

After the floods of July 2021, the Province of Limburg, Water Board Limburg, the Limburg municipalities, and the National Government joined forces in the Water Safety and Space Limburg (WRL) program. In 2022, WRL started an intensive approach to better protect Limburg against the effects of extreme weather. To ensure the shared responsibility of the involved authorities and increase effectiveness, the WRL Administrative Committee was launched on November 27.

“To make Limburg safer from water, decisive action is needed that goes beyond the boundaries of individual organizations. The WRL Administrative Committee brings that decisiveness together. This unique cooperation structure enables us to take more targeted measures and prepare Limburg for tomorrows climate,” says Deputy Michael Theuns.

Faster and More Decisive Cooperation

To get started quickly, WRL launched the Regional Action Table in July 2022 as the administrative client for the program. However, this administrative table had no formal legal status, so decisions had to be ratified by the provincial government. With the establishment of the WRL Administrative Committee, all involved authorities are now formally represented and can make decisions together. For this, the Provincial Executive has delegated a large part of its tasks and powers for WRL to the Administrative Committee.

The Administrative Committee - Cooperation and Decision-Making within WRL

The Administrative Committee includes the Province, Water Board, the National Government, and the four work areas (North Limburg, Central Limburg, Parkstad-Westelijke Mijnstreek, and Maastricht-Heuvelland). The committee monitors the programs substantive course and the deployment of available resources. The members are: Michael Theuns, chairman (representative of the Provincial Executive), Josette Van Wersch (representative of Water Board Limburg), Niels Dauven (representative of Maastricht-Heuvelland work area), Leon Geilen (representative of Parkstad and Westelijke Mijnstreek work area), Dirk Franssen (representative of Central Limburg)
Eric Beurskens (representative of North Limburg), and Louise Veerbeek (observer on behalf of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management).

Anchoring the Regions

Per work area, Administrative Steering Teams (BRTs) have been established, working on a comprehensive package of measures suited to the challenges and tasks in that area. This not only involves adjustments to the water system but also stimulating water-conscious behavior among all Limburg residents. This is necessary because water nuisance can never be completely prevented.

Looking to the Future

Climate change increases the chance of extreme rainfall and flooding, as demonstrated in 2021. Making Limburg more resilient to these challenges goes beyond the work of individual authorities. Through cooperation and pooling knowledge, resources, and powers via WRL, Limburg is better prepared for the future.

For more information about the Water Safety and Space Limburg program, visit the website Don’t Wait for Water