October 22 and 23, the ‘Mayors for a Drinkable Meuse’ came together in Namur/Namen in Wallonia. Over forty participants were present, originating from places of the source of the Meuse, the middle and the mouth of the river. Mayors, aldermen, directors of water authorities and other local and EU actors shared the necessary steps to get towards a drinkable Meuse.
How it all started
Founder of ‘Mayors for’ and Drinkable Rivers is Li An Phoa. Among all the impressive things she does to achieve her mission, she has walked the full length of the Meuse. During her walk, she has met inhabitants, citizens and leaders working and living in the Meuse watershed. Li An: “Drinkable rivers are an indicator of healthy living. Indeed, when we can drink from our rivers, it means that a whole ecosystem is healthy and in balance. Rivers can only be drinkable when all actions and relations in an entire watershed contribute.”
Mayor of Charleville-Mézière Boris Ravignon supports Li An’s initiative and is one of the speakers at the AIWW2021 Integrated Leaders Forum (3 & 4 November): “Cities along the Meuse like Charleville-Mézières have turned their backs on the Meuse for too long. We are now engaged in a process of reconciliation with our river. In this context, the network of ‘Mayors for a Drinkable Meuse’ seems essential to us to share our ambitions and the means to achieve them.”
Learn more at AIWW2021
At our AIWW2021 Online Conference, Li An shares her vision of Drinkable Rivers with focus on the Meuse in exchange with organizations from other rivers and see where their stories can become a confluence enriching eachother’s river visions. Visitthis page for more information on the session and please register here for the online conference.
About Mayors for Drinkable Rivers
Mayors for Drinkable Rivers is a network of mayors around the world who work towards drinkable riversin their villages, cities, regions and watersheds. Together with the mayors of Charleville-Mézières (FR), Namur (BE) and Cuijk (NL), Li An initiated the ‘Mayors for a Drinkable Meuse’ network in 2019. More information at https://drinkablerivers.org/mayors-for-drinkable-rivers/
