Leuven (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Leuven politicians and student group LOKO urge more free water taps in nightlife areas. Jan-Thomas Roefs proposed a new tap near Oude Markt as LOKO promotes “zebra drinking”.
As VRT News reported, in Leuven, local politicians and the student organisation LOKO are asking for better access to free drinking water in nightlife areas. The call supports the new trend known as “zebra drinking,” which means taking a glass of water or a soft drink after every alcoholic drink. The idea, once used to prevent hangovers, is now popular among students who want to drink more responsibly. LOKO is running a campaign during October 2025 to raise awareness.
“We’re handing out cups of water every Wednesday and Thursday at the Oude Mark,
says chair Dora Leko.
It’s popular; students even approach us to ask for a cup. We’ve even been recognised on the street as the water ones,’ so it’s clearly a success.”
“Free tap water is not always available in a regular cafe.”
Chairman Dora Leko
What steps will Leuven take to support the zebra drinking trend?
According to Dora from LOKO, students in Leuven are already changing their habits.
“We notice that students drink less alcohol and often take a glass of water between drinks. Water has been free in our bars for some time, and people appreciate it,”
she said. Even at cantuses, more students are asking for water. City council member Jan-Thomas Roefs, who recently graduated, said that student nightlife in Leuven is becoming more responsible.
“My community is more concerned about it than before.” I think we should follow that trend and offer water to partygoers. That’s why my colleagues and I have proposed installing a new drinking water station near the Oude Markt.
Jan-Thomas Roefs said.
The city of Leuven is considering adding more public drinking water taps. There are already 7 water stations in the city, including ones at Bruulpark and the train station.
“A new station could have a huge positive impact on the nightlife,”
says Roefs.
“This way, we make drinking water very accessible. While it’s not mandatory, a glass of water between beers can prevent excessive drinking. It also helps with a potential hangover.”
The proposal was brought to the city council by Jan-Thomas Roefs and his Vooruit colleagues Hanes De Geest and Sarah Mohamed Khalif. The plan received a positive response from city officials. Alderman Dirk Vansina of CD&V said the city supports this change and is open to expanding the number of water taps.
Vansina explained that the first 7 taps were installed by De Watergroep, but that contract has now ended. He said new installations cannot happen right away, yet the city is studying how to include them in upcoming projects.
They mentioned that one possible location is Rector De Somerplein, where small renovation work is planned. A new tap could be added there as part of those works. Student organisation LOKO welcomed the idea, saying that not every café can always offer free water.
“Such a tap would be a huge step in the right direction,”
says the chair.
“We’ll continue to inform students about responsible drinking, and hopefully, we’ll see more free tap water available at night. This isn’t always possible in a regular pub right now.”
“Pub owners have their reasons for this, but we’ll keep finding ways to get water to students.”
Ultimately, it only has advantages.
In 2018, KU Leuven launched a project to install drinking water taps across its campuses to promote sustainability and reduce plastic waste. 3 taps were first placed in the city centre, Arenberg, and Gasthuisberg campuses. In 2019, 8 more were added through the “Tap It Up” campaign, which also encouraged students to use reusable bottles.
Brussels Morning is a daily online newspaper based in Belgium. BM publishes unique and independent coverage on international and European affairs. With a Europe-wide perspective, BM covers policies and politics of the EU, significant Member State developments, and looks at the international agenda with a European perspective.
Leave a Reply