Oostkamp (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Farmers near Oostkamp use a new quiet underwater pump at Westdijk to quickly fill 25,000-litre tanks in 4 minutes, avoiding noisy tractors and traffic. Mayor Jan de Keyser supports this.
As VRT News reported, farmers in the East camp need water for their crops because of the drought. To help, officials have opened a water collection point at the Westdijk in Moerbrugge, close to Oostkamp, province of West Flanders, Belgium, where farmers can get water.
Mayor Jan de Keyser, along with farmers and the province, found a better solution after the issues last year. They put in a new, quiet pump at Westdijk. He said that this pump is underwater and works better, so it’s much quieter than before.
Farmers can now get water faster without using noisy tractors or making traffic worse. He mentioned that this new plan helps farmers get water during the drought while also being good for the environment and the community.
How does the new pump at Westdijk benefit farmers and the community?
According to officials, the new pump at Westdijk is both fast and quiet. It can fill a big water tank holding 25,000 litres in only 4 minutes. They said this helps farmers gain access to the water they require for their crops in a speedy manner, which is particularly useful throughout the parched summer months when water is highly demanded.
It will stay available for use throughout the summer season. Everyone is hoping for rain soon, as not only farmers but also many residents would welcome the relief, for example, to help maintain their lawns and gardens.
To ensure everyone gets along, farmers have some rules about when they can pump water. They can’t pump water at night, specifically between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. This is to make sure people can sleep without noise.
Also, on days when school is in session, the start time for pumping is moved to 8:30 a.m. Officials mentioned that this is done to avoid causing any problems for children and the morning traffic near schools.
This was also done in 2024, but this time there’s a big improvement, a new, quiet underwater pump. Last year, farmers pumped water from the Ghent–Ostend canal using their tractors. This made a lot of noise because the tractors had to run constantly, which bothered people living nearby and the environment. Also, the tractors caused traffic jams, making farmers and other drivers frustrated.
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