Time for council, health officials to sort this out
I WENT, as an observer, to the KaritaneWaikouaiti meeting on Friday on lead contamination in water, looking for a clear explanation on why a red flag was not raised in August 2020 when an unsafe level of lead contamination was detected.
Top governance and management levels of DCC and Public Health did not explain why the contamination level information was not acted on immediately, who was accountable and what steps may need to be taken to ensure that the system is now reliable.
Those of us in the audience looking for a focus on the problem and a clear path to future solutions were disappointed.
The meeting was informed of the dangers of lead contamination in water, especially to the foetus and young.
Members of the audience were clearly, and understandably, upset and angry.
We need, urgently, to get the basics right. The council and health board must return to a focus on the infrastructure. Top of the list — clean water!
Thanks to the community board and those leaders and doctors who were able to inform and support the community.
The Water Services Bill is now open for submissions. Hopefully, the important points made at this meeting will be submitted to this Bill for the benefit of all water systems in our country.
Alex Familton
Palmerston
REGARDING Thursday’s letters to the editor title, ‘‘Mayor needs to front up and provide answers’’ (ODT, 4.2.21),
Mayor Aaron Hawkins must resign immediately.
I and many many thousands of ratepayers will vote for Sir Ian Taylor as mayor of Dunedin next week. Thomas Campbell
Abbotsford
I WRITE in response to your editorial headed ‘‘Outrage and Waikouaiti water’’ (ODT, 5.2.21).
Clearly, there is a problem with the quality of the water supply, and it may well be that it has not been handled as well as we might have hoped.
But, personally, my stress levels as a resident and consumer of that water are not eased by your neoTrumpian language designed to reduce public confidence in anything any ‘‘official’’ says to us about anything. (Quite what the link is supposed to be with the Covid19 briefings to this local issue escapes me.)
On your front page, you have a note that ‘‘Medical Officer of Health appeals for calm’’ then you set about ensuring that her appeal is unlikely to be heeded.
Quite how musing about the ‘‘lassitude’’ of officials, or their independence, is going to improve the quality of our water, let alone the tone of our public discourse, or encourage them to be more open and transparent with the public, I leave to you to explain.
But the next time you feel a rush of outrage to your head, please remind yourself that even ‘‘officials’’ are as much members of our community as editors and their staff. Indeed, some of them may even be subscribers to your newspaper.
Roger Barker
Waikouaiti
MAYBE we could use our Waikouaiti water to spray the weeds that seem to be rampant on our footpaths under this council.
Allan Hall
Waikouaiti ...................................
BIBLE READING: Save yourselves from this corrupt generation. — Acts 2:40.