Many NZers don’t know if their water is safe
new-zealand-labour-party
Mon May 31 2010 12:00:00 GMT+1200 (New Zealand Standard Time)
Many NZers don’t know if their water is safe
Monday, 31 May 2010, 3:36 pm
Press Release: New Zealand Labour Party
**Many New Zealanders don’t know if their water is safe
**
An Auditor-General’s review of drinking water suggests the water many Kiwis are drinking is either ungraded, has an unsatisfactory grade, or does not meet drinking water standards, says Labour’s water spokesperson Brendon Burns.
Audit Office staff appeared before the Local Government and Environment Committee last week to talk about a detailed report they’ve written on planning to meet demand for drinking water, Brendon Burns said. Staff confirmed that their survey of eight local authorities was reasonably representative of the wider New Zealand picture.
“Their report shows only one of the eight councils – Nelson – is already meeting new drinking water standards, introduced in 2007 to meet World Health Organisation minimum standards.
“Even in Christchurch, where most residents enjoy good quality drinking water, the city’s water in the northwest has an unsatisfactory Da grade and doesn’t meet the standards, and none of Banks Peninsula supplies meet minimum standards.”
Five other councils surveyed – Tasman, Kapiti, Opotiki, Central Otago and South Taranaki --- were all ungraded, or have unsatisfactory grades, don’t meet the standards and require infrastructural upgrades, Brendon Burns said.
“People living in bigger centres can be reasonably sure their water quality is safe as it meets the standards, but the report suggests many people living in smaller centres are drinking water that has not been graded or, if it has, has been found to be unsatisfactory or unacceptable.
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“The Government is compounding water quality problems. Nine months ago, Health Minister Tony Ryall froze $80m in funding put in place by Labour to help small communities meet the new water standards. He is yet to turn the funding tap back on,” Brendon Burns said.
“He has also frozen for three years the requirement for local authorities to meet the new drinking water standards. Instead, he should be demanding all councils test their water and let people know whether it is judged acceptable to drink.
“His double-freeze simply means many New Zealanders will not have safe drinking water supplies until 2012 at the earliest. That leaves many Kiwis remaining at risk of water-borne illnesses such as giardia and cryptosporidium.”
ends
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