Planning and management of the Walloon Region’s investments in its inland waterway network

In its report to the Walloon Parliament, the Court of Audit examines the planning and management of the Walloon Region’s investments in its waterway network. Both financial and human resources do not ensure the full application and discharge of the preventive maintenance plans. The competent Directorate has tools for assessing the state of the water engineering structures and electromechanical appliances, but their practical implementation is neither complete nor fully operational. The Court of Audit recommends achieving at least the objective laid down in the priority dredging plan aimed at restoring a sufficient navigation capacity on the entire waterway network. It also recommends that the multiannual planning of investments and extraordinary maintenance be considered as a fully-fledged activity, which implies a pre-established procedure, ad hoc resources, a regular monitoring, an ex-post evaluation and a greater strategic coordination with Sofico, the Walloon company for the additional financing of infrastructure.