Brussels maintains yellow drought alert amid continued dry conditions

Belgium's Brussels Capital Region will maintain its yellow drought alert as recent rainfall has failed to fully replenish soil moisture and water resources, authorities said Monday.

The regional drought task force met Monday under the water policy coordination platform led by Brussels Environment, bringing together water operators, stakeholders and authorities responsible for prevention, safety and crisis management, French-language broadcaster RTBF reported.

Following the meeting, officials decided to keep the region in the vigilance phase, according to the report.

Brussels Environment said recent rainfall and milder temperatures had led to a slight improvement in conditions but were insufficient to return the situation to normal.

“The rainfall of recent weeks has not been sufficient to normalize the situation, either in terms of the soil, which remains dry, or the water resources,” the agency said.

It added that vigilance remained necessary as the Royal Meteorological Institute of Belgium forecast drier weather from Tuesday.

The yellow alert means measures introduced more than a month ago will remain in effect.

Authorities continue to call on residents to use tap water responsibly amid concerns over water resources.