Alzette River Pollution; Credit: AGE

Luxembourg's Water Management Administration (AGE) has reported that, since mid-January, several cases of pollution have been detected in the Alzette watercourse in Schifflange and Esch-sur-Alzette; on Monday 13 January 2024, AGE officers and CGDIS representatives travelled for the first time to install dams in order to stem the pollution.

Since then, they have increased their efforts to trace the origin of this pollution. This research was complicated by the fact that the River Alzette is partly channeled underground in this region.

This afternoon, 21 February 2024, the main origin was finally identified on an industrial site in Esch-Belval. It turns out that an oil separator in a mechanical workshop was defective: instead of retaining the oil, part of it was able to flow towards the rainwater evacuation canal which flows towards the Alzette watercourse.

The company causing the pollution immediately undertook clean-up and restoration measures at the oil separator to restore its functionality.

At this stage, according to the AGE, the consequences of the pollution cannot yet be assessed.