12,000 Flemish lands need to be remediated: do you have to pay for that yourself if your backyard is polluted? | Domestic

An old heating oil tank next to the house? Or maybe there was once a factory in the backyard where your children play. In Flanders there are an estimated 12,000 contaminated soils that need to be tackled, according to OVAM’s new soil explorer. From now on, everyone can see what the soil quality of their land is like. But who pays if your land suddenly turns red on the map? “For a leaking fuel oil tank, the remediation costs can amount to up to 65,000 euros.”