Flooded area had been protected

AN article on the front page of the paper this morning (27.7.22) described problems of flooding in and around Dunedin. In the part relating to the evacuation of residents in the area from Montgomery Ave to Leith St central, it related residents in this area needed to be evacuated because of the problem of possible inundation. This is the precise area that only a few years ago had millions of dollars spent on ‘‘flood protection’’ by the ‘‘experts’’ in two large contracts. I also note that the parts of the waterway that have not been ‘‘adjusted’’ are not at this stage a flood risk. When the second section was being done, I rang and asked the powers that be why there was planting on both sides that would be washed out the first time the water level rose to ‘‘high normal’’ flow. The answer was ‘‘we have allowed for this in our budgets’’.

How is it that they can get it so wrong when the general public (that I spoke to) could see the work was not going to fix the problem and the people responsible suffer no consequences?

Dave Foote

St Leonards

A foetus or a baby?

DENIS Horne (ODT, 17.7.22) is technically right saying a healthy newborn can stay alive without a mother. However it will need daily care for quite a while and ongoing care for years. A premature baby after only 6 months in the womb can also survive if it is given the appropriate daily care. There is no doubt that the foetus once born is a human being. A woman who has had a miscarriage will say ‘‘she lost her baby’’, even if she was only a couple of months pregnant. A wanted foetus is a baby, but someone who supports abortion will refer to a foetus. I understand that the repealed Roe v. Wade legislation allowed abortion up to 9 months, thus in some states ‘‘partial birth abortions'’ were performed. I wonder how many people in NZ would approve of this type of abortion?

Kathleen Kenrick

Roslyn