Source protection

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In the future

Source protection

De Watergroep is working on source protection

All climate models are predicting ever more frequent long periods of drought, interspersed by brief periods of heavy rainfall. Combined with the densely populated areas and intensive land use we have in Flanders, this can easily lead to water scarcity. That’s why De Watergroep is making long-term investments in water supplies and the protection of our sources.

More nature

A reliable water supply starts with source protection. “By strengthening the ecosystems around our extraction sites and river basins, we are doing everything we can to protect our surface and groundwater”, Head of Water Sources and Environment Tom Diez states. “One of the things we are researching within De Watergroep is how we can use nature to fight water scarcity and improve the natural quality of water. We can do so by restoring wetlands, for example, as these areas play a significant role in keeping ground water supplies at an adequate level. We are also exploring new possibilities for storing excess rainwater in wet periods underground. Together with a whole range of public bodies and research centres as well as local players, we are seeking sustainable solutions in which everyone cooperates to protect nature, water sources and water quality.

WaterProtect

function swipedetect(el, callback){ var touchsurface = el, swipedir, startX, startY, distX, distY, threshold = 200, //required min distance traveled to be considered swipe restraint = 100, // maximum distance allowed at the same time in perpendicular direction allowedTime = 300, // maximum time allowed to travel that distance elapsedTime, startTime, handleswipe = callback || function(swipedir){} touchsurface.addEventListener('touchstart', function(e){ var touchobj = e.changedTouches[0] swipedir = 'none' dist = 0 startX = touchobj.pageX startY = touchobj.pageY startTime = new Date().getTime() // record time when finger first makes contact with surface e.preventDefault() }, false) touchsurface.addEventListener('touchmove', function(e){ e.preventDefault() // prevent scrolling when inside DIV }, false) touchsurface.addEventListener('touchend', function(e){ var touchobj = e.changedTouches[0] distX = touchobj.pageX - startX // get horizontal dist traveled by finger while in contact with surface distY = touchobj.pageY - startY // get vertical dist traveled by finger while in contact with surface elapsedTime = new Date().getTime() - startTime // get time elapsed if (elapsedTime <= allowedTime){ // first condition for awipe met if (Math.abs(distX) >= threshold && Math.abs(distY) <= restraint){ // 2nd condition for horizontal swipe met swipedir = (distX < 0)? 'left' : 'right' // if dist traveled is negative, it indicates left swipe } else if (Math.abs(distY) >= threshold && Math.abs(distX) <= restraint){ // 2nd condition for vertical swipe met swipedir = (distY < 0)? 'up' : 'down' // if dist traveled is negative, it indicates up swipe } } handleswipe(swipedir) e.preventDefault() }, false) } window.addEventListener('load', function(){ var el = document.getElementById('prevnextbar') var nextpage = document.getElementById('nextpage') var prevpage = document.getElementById('prevpage') swipedetect(el, function(swipedir){ if (swipedir != 'right'){ prevpage.click() } if (swipedir != 'left'){ nextpage.click() } }) }, false)