On Thursday, October 2, a special webinar took place for municipal council members about the drinking water supply in Brabant. The webinar addressed the consequences of code red for municipalities and provided tools for council members to deal with this. The Province of North Brabant organized this together with Brabant Water and the municipalities of Bergen op Zoom and Tilburg.

Drinking Water Under Pressure

The availability of drinking water is under pressure throughout West and Central Brabant. In West Brabant, code red is even in effect. Due to population growth and economic developments, the demand for drinking water is further increasing. A shortage of drinking water affects everyone: residents, businesses, and municipalities.

What Does Code Red Mean?

During the webinar, attendees discussed the current situation, possible consequences, and solutions. Using two practical examples from Bergen op Zoom and Tilburg, they saw how municipalities can tackle this urgent issue. The organization hopes that these examples will inspire more projects that contribute to a future-proof drinking water supply in Brabant.

Participants:

  • Hans Peter Verroen, Alderman of Bergen op Zoom and Evelien Kostermans, Alderman of Tilburg. They expressed their concerns about the drinking water supply in relation to local housing ambitions and economic growth. At the same time, they showed what measures the municipalities are taking to conserve water.
  • Saskia Boelema, Provincial Executive of the Province of North Brabant. She spoke about the collaboration with partners on a robust groundwater system.
  • Rob van Dongen, General Director of Brabant Water. He discussed the drinking water strategy of Brabant Water and what code red means for Brabant.

The webinar can be viewed at https://vimeo.com/1125099457/62074f70d7?ts=0&share=copy (refers to another website)

On the website of Brabant Water (refers to another website), under drinking water shortages, a number of questions raised during the webinar can be found, including answers. This list will be supplemented with more questions and answers in the coming two weeks.