Gilbert Fernandes has lived in the housing complex 'an der Prënzewiss' in Pétange for over 30 years. In the first years, the cellar of his new house was flooded three to four times every winter, he says. As a response, a natural retention basin was built not far from his home in the early 1990s.
However, since 2016, his cellar has been regularly filled with water. On three occasions, huge masses of water have poured in.
This resident of Pétange is one of those people who have been regularly checking their homes for flooding due to bad weather and heavy rainfall for a month now. Events such as the severe flooding in mid-July will continue to leave many people feeling insecure for a long time to come.
For Fernandes and other residents of his housing complex, the floods of 15 July were not a new experience. The retention basin, built to protect the residents of this district of Pétange, has not been able to hold back the water since 2016, they say.
The ditches around the retention basin, which are supposed to carry the water to the basin, have not been cleared of vegetation. In some cases, local people took care of this task themselves.
In addition to the retention basin, there is also a drainage system which should ensure that the water ends up in the sewers and not in the cellars of the local residents. Unfortunately, the result is not satisfactory for the residents.
The drainage system has obviously not been able to prevent the flooding completely. It is said to be too small and ineffective, as the stones which are supposed to drain the water better, have had the opposite effect, according to the critics.
Jean-Marie Halsdorf, alderman in Pétange, says he has known about this issue for a long time, and that the municipal authorities would like to help the citizens. The new drainage system with the stones would have been a first step, but now it is a question of how to improve it.
However, decisions on this matter must be taken in consultation with the Environmental Administration and the Water Management Administration. A meeting with the two administrations is planned for September to come up with a solution.
