Plan of approach for exceptional low water events in the Meuse basin

This is a summary report on the plan of approach to deal with exceptional low water events such as those experienced in the Meuse International River Basin District after several consecutive years of the summer drought between 2017 and 2020. At the 18th IMC’s Plenary Assembly on 26 November 2010, the States and Regions, Parties to the IMC decided to endorse a Plan of Approach on low water events. The aim of this plan of approach was to anticipate as best as possible situations of extreme low water events and the resulting water shortage in the Meuse basin and thus to limit the damage caused by them as much as possible.

Some of the recommendations from this report include:

• The IMC States and Regions should inform each other in good time of major national projects involving foreseeable transboundary effects on the flows of the Meuse and/or its tributaries, even when these are coordinated within the framework of bilateral agreements and the implementation of the Directive on the assessment of the effects of certain public and private projects. 
• In order to better assess the current situation on the one hand and the modifications of the ecosystems and uses resulting from the increase in temperature and the probable reduction of the watercourse flows on the other hand, it is advisable to develop devices for continuous monitoring of the temperature of the surface water bodies bordering the Meuse basin.
• It is also recommended to continue, within the IMC working group on "hydrology/floods", the regular exchanges of information and experience on the study projects concerning the potential impact of climate change initiated on future or current projects (CHIMERE 21 for example).