Friday, April 1, 2011

East hit hard by sewerage failures

East hit hard by sewerage failures

BEN HEATHER
Last updated 05:00 01/04/2011
 
A map of Christchurch's earthquake-hit sewerage system shows almost the entire eastern half of the city is suffering from "low" service, and large pockets have no waste connection.

The map, obtained by The Press, shows the areas with no sewerage include parts of Bexley, Southshore, Avonside, Dallington, Burwood, Avondale, North New Brighton, Wainoni, Woolston and Charleston.

Christchurch City Council water and waste unit manager Mark Christison said there was a "strategy of attack" for repairing the sewerage system. However, he would not comment on area priority.

"If you want me to say that some suburbs are going to take precedence over others, I'm not going to say that," he said. However, areas where the sewerage system was hit hardest in September's quake, such as Bexley and Avonside, were again in the worst state and would probably take the longest to repair, he said.

Work would continue in all areas but resources would be focused on "slow" pipes that could be fully restored quickly before more attention was given to areas with no sewerage, he said.

"We are trying to restore as much of the city's resources as fast as we can." The first task was to flush silt out of all pipes, which was expected to take up to four months, before assessing the damage and beginning repairs.

Flushing out the silt could be difficult in areas that had liquefaction because it could create an underground void, potentially collapsing roads. The sewerage map was subject to change.

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