The toilets of around 100 houses at the Kanthoeve recreation park in Bakel have overflowed because the sewerage system can no longer handle the rainwater. “The streets in the park are flooded and the drainage cannot remove it there either. I have never experienced this before,” says Wendy van der Zalm of the park. Disappointed, she adds that the fire brigade will only come when the water is 20 centimeters high.”
On Saturday, the municipality pumped out the surrounding ditches that were in danger of overflowing. “That seemed to work well,” says Wendy. “On Sunday morning it turned out to be even worse. The toilet was overflowing in dozens of houses. Some streets were flooded in the park and the water was almost coming in at some houses.”
No help
“The water in the ditches is still not as high as on Saturday, but now the water is in the park. The sewer system does not seem to be able to handle it all.” Of course Wendy called the fire brigade for help. “But they only come when the water is 20 centimeters high. They didn’t have any tips either.”
Wendy first thought that a lock was closed somewhere, but that is not correct according to the Aa en Maas water board. “There is nothing wrong with the locks, but it is due to the sewer pressure. The waste water goes from wide pipes to narrower pipes towards water purification. That is where things go wrong.” And according to Wendy, that is not the fault of the water board but of the municipality: “It is talking about this, but so far little has happened,” she says.
Miserable
The park has 350 houses, all but 10 of which are inhabited. “The toilets have flooded in about 100 houses. There are electricity boxes in the water. If there is a short circuit, the entire park will be without power. It is quite miserable. I hope the water will subside soon so that we can clear the rubble,” says Wendy.
ALSO WORTH IT:
No panic yet at the water boards
2023 will be the wettest year ever