Emergency Response Plan in the event of a disruption in the drinking water supply

This emergency response plan defines the actions that the Government should take in the event of a significant disruption in the drinking water supply in the Grand Duchy. It applies to any event which, by its nature or effects, threatens the vital interests or essential needs of all or part of the country or population, which requires that urgent decisions be made and that the actions of the Government and agencies, departments and bodies connected with the public authorities be coordinated at the national level, and at the international level if necessary.

Decreed by the Council of Government on 8 September 2017 and adapted on 12 February 2024, the aims of the drinking water ERP are:

• to define the bodies that will manage the crisis;
• to lay down the process for alerting the authorities and providing information to the public;
• to define the emergency measures, associated actions, and the various stakeholders and figures in charge.

Given the wide range of potential incidents and their varied impacts and repercussions, this plan provides those in charge of executing it with the tools they need to be able to react in an appropriate and flexible manner to the events and to provide the best possible protection for the citizens or sectors affected, their vital interests and the nation's economy, at the same time distinguishing between problems of a quantitative and qualitative nature.

The execution of the plan developed under the leadership of the High Commission for National Protection (Haut-Commissariat à la protection nationale - HCPN) falls under the remit of the Prime Minister and the Minister with responsibility for water. All the ministries, agencies and departments of the State, as well as the operators/owners of water treatment infrastructures, are required to cooperate in the implementation of the plan using all the means available to them.

In implementing the various emergency measures, the Ministries, agencies and State services will be assisted by the operators/owners of the drinking water infrastructures and distribution networks, including the water syndicate at Esch-sur-Sûre (Syndicat des Eaux du Barrage d’Esch-sur-Sûre - SEBES).

In the event of a disruption in the drinking water supply presumed to have been caused by an act of terrorism, the Government's Vigilnat plan (the plan for national vigilance in the face of the threat of acts of terrorism) - and if necessary its component, the emergency response plan in the event of an attack involving CBRN substances - applies.

In the event of a disruption in the drinking water supply as a result of problems with the power supply at installations operated by SEBES or other regional suppliers, the power cut emergency response plan (the "Power cut ERP") applies.

In the event of a disruption in the drinking water supply as a result of a cyber-attack, the emergency response plan in the event of an attack against information systems or a technical flaw in the information systems (the "Cyber ERP") applies.