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In Ghent, Belgium, historic canals are covered with a bright green film of duckweed due to unusually warm autumn weather and lack of rain. Captain Davide Siddi and Geert Weymeis from Flanders Waterways explain that this rapid growth is unprecedented, affecting the Lys river and Scheldt river canals where water typically remains stagnant. Tourists continue to enjoy canal tours despite the duckweed's potential environmental impact and practical issues for boat operators.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-04,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
In Ghent, Belgium, the historic canals have turned green due to an excessive growth of duckweed, covering them with a bright green film. This unusual occurrence is linked to recent heatwaves and lack of rain in Europe; summer 2026 was declared the hottest in Belgian history. The warm autumn temperatures, still regularly exceeding 20°C in September, have provided ideal conditions for the rapid spread of duckweed. Boat captain Davide Siddi noted that this phenomenon has persisted for about three weeks to a month. Geert Weymeis, head of Flanders Waterways, stated it is unprecedented in scale and affects major waterways like the Lys.
Written for “Canals Turn Green Ghent” on 2026-10-05,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
Historic canals turn green in Belgium’s Ghent amid autumn warmth
AI generated
GHENT, Belgium - A bright green film carpets the historic canals in the medieval Belgian town of Ghent, as tourists and students relax along its edge in the unseasonable autumn warmth.
asserted
tourists → turn → warmth
The blanket of duckweed covering the water has proliferated dramatically due to a lack of rain and record-breaking temperatures.
asserted
blanket → cover → rain
Like much of Europe, Belgium in recent months experienced an exceptional series of heatwaves, with the summer of 2026 being declared the hottest in its history.
asserted
summer → experience → history
“We’ve never seen anything like this here in Ghent,” Davide Siddi, who captains a boat giving tours of the canal, told AFP.
asserted
who → see → AFP
The lack of rainfall coupled with the unusually warm weather – with temperatures in September still regularly exceeding 20 deg C – provide the ideal conditions for the duckweed to flourish.
asserted
duckweed → couple → conditions
“Normally, the plant is found where water is stagnant, but at the moment it is spreading everywhere,” Geert Weymeis, head of Flanders Waterways, told AFP.
asserted
Weymeis → find → AFP
“This is the first time we have seen it grow on such a massive scale here.”
asserted
it → see → scale
Weymeis said the phenomenon mainly affects the Lys, a river that flows from the north of France and empties into the Scheldt river which runs through Ghent’s centuries-old canals.
asserted
which → say → canals
“It could last for a few more weeks if the temperature does not drop significantly,” Weymeis said.
uncertain
Weymeis → last → weeks
Duckweed deprives the flora and fauna in the water of sunlight, but the plant is harmless for humans.
asserted
plant → deprive → humans
Tourists can still safely board the boats that wind their way past the churches and historic buildings in the city centre.
asserted
that → board → centre
Against the blue sky, the pea green coating creates a striking image that passersby stop to photograph.
asserted
passersby → create → image
But there is also a sense of worry over the impact that man-made climate change is having on the environment around them.
asserted
change → be → them
“It’s both beautiful to look at and a cause for concern,” Ramzi Salhi said, after capturing the image.
asserted
Salhi → look → image
The duckweed can clog up the engines of the tourist boats plying the canals and cause them to overheat.
asserted
them → clog → canals
“Over the past month, a few boats have already broken down,” he said.
asserted
he → break → month
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