Lack of flood information deplored

Concerned residents living near the Heathcote River want more information from the Christchurch City Council about work to mitigate flood risks.

About 300 people attended a meeting in Somerfield on Tuesday for residents worried about flooding along the Heathcote River.

Representatives from the council’s flooding taskforce and other agencies presented information on recent flooding events and the mitigation work to be carried out over the coming weeks.

The taskforce was considering individual protection solutions for the 13 most vulnerable homes in the area, such as house raising or wrapping, while temporary bunding and relocatable pumps could be used to reduce the flood risk for up to 168 properties until longterm solutions were available.

The Labour candidate for Christchurch Central, Tony Milne, said the ‘‘huge turnout’’ showed there was high demand for information.

Many were unhappy about the lack of direct communication from the council and had concerns about follow-up to calls to the council’s call centre, he said.

It was also important for all agencies involved to continue working together to find ‘‘immediate and enduring solutions’’.

‘‘This shouldn’t be a political party issue.

‘‘It’s about knuckling down and working together.’’

Port Hills MP Ruth Dyson said she was concerned to see how many people raised their hands when asked if raw sewage had come on to their property during recent flooding.