Our H2woe
At least 721,000 New Zealanders and countless tourists are drinking water that may not meet safety standards, a new report says. Up to 100,000 New Zealanders get sick from drinking tap water every year. The Government is considering the universal treatm
Controversy looms as the Government considers universal treatment of drinking water through measures such as chlorination. The recommended move stems from a report revealing that up to 100,000 Kiwis are getting sick every year from drinking tap water.
While Auckland and Wellington residents are drinking safe water, 20 per cent of the country — over 700,000 New Zealanders and countless more tourists — are at risk of drinking unsafe water.
The Government is likely to set up an independent body to oversee safe drinking water, while also considering sanctions for failing to supply it.
Attorney-General David Parker gave assurances that all drinking water would meet the minimum safety standard. However, he would not say if he would enforce universal treatment, which he noted would be controversial and costly, especially for smaller suppliers.
Universal treatment is one recommendation of a Government inquiry, into the outbreak of water-borne disease in Havelock North last year that made a third of the 15,000 residents ill and was linked to three deaths.
The inquiry’s report, released yesterday, slammed local councils and the Health Ministry — which are usually responsible for safe drinking water — detailing “widespread systemic failure” and inept enforcement that failed to improve, even after the Havelock North crisis.
It has prompted outrage, with Green co-leader James Shaw calling it a “disgrace” and “unconscionable” that New Zealanders could fall sick or even die from drinking tap water.
The inquiry said outside of Auckland and Wellington, at least 721,000 Kiwis — and possibly hundreds of thousands more, including tourists — were drinking water that was “not demonstrably safe”, leading to estimates of 100,000 people suffering from water-borne diseases each year.
Health Minister David Clark sought
. . . such a limp-response does not go nearly far enough. Havelock North inquiry’s criticism of Health Ministry
to allay public fears, saying the water people are drinking today is the same as they were drinking yesterday.
The Government has written to mayors and DHBs urging them to check water supplies as it urgently considers the inquiry’s 51 recommendations, including stronger laws and regulations to enforce standards.
The inquiry panel has called for the entire country’s drinking water be chlorinated immediately ahead of law changes.
It said exemptions to permanent chlorination could be made, but only in “very limited circumstances”.
Clark will bring recommendations to the Cabinet before Christmas.
“These findings point to a widespread systemic failure among water suppliers to meet the high standards required for the supply of safe drinking water to the public,” the inquiry’s report said. “There is currently no adequate or effective enforcement of the statutory obligations on water suppliers.”
Parker said the Ministry of Health, as well as local authorities, had “effectively failed” New Zealanders.
“In the last five years there have been no compliance notices issued by the Ministry of Health, and no enforcement action taken against any local authority that has been failing to supply water in accordance with the standards.”
The Government had yet to decide how much money it would commit to ensuring all drinking water was of an acceptable standard, Parker said.
“Traditionally providing drinking water has been a primary responsibility of councils and we don’t see that as changing, although it is true that some of the smaller populations, if left alone, won’t be able to afford to do it, so we’re going to have to work through that.”
Christchurch is the largest city with unchlorinated water, drawn from aquifers and piped direct to homes. Treating the water supply would cost $100 million to $150m.
Christchurch city councillor and Canterbury DHB member Aaron Keown told Newstalk ZB’s Larry Williams chlorination would “go down like a bucket of sick” and would provoke protests in the streets.
But Water New Zealand’s John Pfahlert said that while aquifer water might start out pure, the reticulation system used to get it to houses could introduce cross-contamination. Chlorination was “the cheapest, most effective means of ensuring public health that you can get”, he said.
The inquiry viewed the latest data for 2016-17, which showed that 721,000 people drinking potentially unsafe water was “a significant underestimate”.
The Director-General of Health, Chai Chuah, told the inquiry the figures were “very troubling”, while the ministry’s leader of the drinking water team, Sally Gilbert, said the figures “raise flags” and that the ministry needed to “strengthen [its] advice in this area”.
“The inquiry considers such a limp response does not go nearly far enough,” the report said.
“Twenty-seven supplies failed entirely to take any remedial action after a transgression. In the aftermath of the bacteriological outbreak in Havelock North, these failures to respond effectively to transgressions or to monitor adequately are surprising and unacceptable.”
The inquiry sheds new light on Chuah’s announcement this week that he will resign halfway into his five-year term. It follows a State Services Commission report critical of the Health Ministry’s performance.