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A. Van de Maelestraat 96
Erembodegem (9320)
Belgium
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Phone: +32 053 72 64 45
Fax: +32 053 71 10 78
Email: info@vmm.be
http://www.vmm.be/english

The mission of VMM is to contribute to the realisation of the objectives of the environmental policy by:

    * preventing, limiting and eliminating the harmful effects to water systems and the atmosphere;
    * reporting on the state of the environment;
    * the realisation of the objectives of integrated water management.

Moreover, the Flemish Environment Agency has an important role in motivating and stimulating a more environmentally friendly behaviour of the general public, industry and agricultural sector representatives. VMM also participates in international environmental policy.

The extensive series of tasks include:

Water

    * Drawing up the water emissions register.
    * Monitoring the quality of surface water, sediments and wastewater, as well as monitoring the bacteriological quality of bathing water, both for coastal and inland waters.
    * Monitoring the quality and quantity of ground water.
    * Developing policy instruments and elaborating measures to prevent and limit the pollution of water systems.
    * Coordination of the integrated water policy: chair and secretariat of the Flemish Coordination Commission for Integrated Water Policy.
    * Drafting investment programmes for waste water treatment (i.e. regional waste water collectors and treatment plants).
    * Developing investment programmes for the construction or improvement of municipal sewer systems, as well as small-scale treatment plants, and preparation of municipal subsidy programmes.
    * Ecological and economic supervision of waste water treatment.
    * Advising on the granting of environmental permits and on the water test (urban planning).
    * Levying taxes on industrial water pollution and groundwater abstraction.
    * Supervising the ecological aspects of water intended for human consumption.
    * Managing unnavigable waterways of first category in Flanders: safety measures (flood prevention), measures to maintain and improve the ecological quality of waterways (investments, rodent control), on-line flood forecasting system. For more information: www.overstromingsvoorspeller.be

Air

    * Monitoring ambient air quality.
    * On-line ozone, NOx and PM monitoring and forecasting.
    * Drawing up the air emissions register.
    * Advising on the granting of environmental permits.

MIRA (State of the Environment Reporting)

The Flemish Environmental Report (MIRA) deals with all aspects of environmental issues. The environmental reporting includes:

    * a description, analysis and evaluation of the existing condition of the environment (MIRA-T);
    * a description, analysis and evaluation of the currently applied environmental policy (MIRA-PE);
    * a description of the expected development of the environment, subject to an unchanged policy, an adapted policy and for a number of relevant scenarios (MIRA-S). For more information: www.environmentflanders.be

1. Actor:

   Ministry

2. Sector:

   Climate protection (general)

3. Activity:

   Belgium