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Water and sewage remain major issues in the Canterbury region
after yesterday's 7.1 magnitude earthquake.
Water supply has now resumed for all but 15% to 20% of households
and electricity is tonight back on in 90% of Christchurch.
And a nine-truck convoy carrying 55 generators has driven in from the North Island to help power up the city.
However some roads are still closed due to flooding and the threat of broken sewerage lines contaminating drinking supplies is still high.
The District Health Board is warning Christchurch, Waimakariri and Selwyn residents to avoid getting sick by boiling all tap water for three minutes before drinking, brushing teeth or preparing food.
Canterbury Medical Officer of Health Alistair Humphrey said residents should assume all tap water is contaminated until councils advise them it is safe.
"There are some dangerous bugs there that can cause very serious complications or even cause death in some people so it is a very serious issue," he said.
Clean water is in short supply and is now being trucked in and delivered.
A KiwiRail train carrying almost 300,000 litres of fresh water arrived in Christchurch early this afternoon.
The water was loaded into Fonterra milk tanks at Temuka last night with the intention of bringing it to Christchurch. However because of the risk of track damage caused by aftershocks, the decision was made to delay the final leg of the journey from Ashburton until daylight.
Water safety is especially a concern in Kaiapoi where nearly a third of properties still don't have water back on.
In parts of the town the sewerage system is in total disarray.
Jim Palmer from the Waimakariri Council said in the worst case, it could take months to restore.
In other north eastern parts of the city residents are having to dig paths for sewage and water to flow.
"I just came home this morning and I felt like burning the house down, that's how bad it is," said Stanley Bruning.
Waimakariri stockbanks damaged
Residents near the Waimakariri River may have to be evacuated if heavy rains cause the river to swell after the stopbanks were damaged by the quake.
Civil Defence Minister John Carter said they were conscious of the winds and rain forecast for tonight and were contacting elderly people to ensure they were looked after. He advised those concerned to contact the emergency phone line.
"We are aware that there could be significant rain up in the Alps and that the (Waimakariri) river may swell over the next couple of days."
Carter said Civil Defence was working to rebuild the stopbanks and get an evacuation plan in place.
The stopbanks had been damaged at the ocean end of the river and near Kaiapoi and were at about 50% capability, he said.
Residents should also avoid swimming, fishing and gathering shellfish in the sea or local rivers due to likely sewage contamination, use as little water as possible to flush the toilet, if water is available.
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Add a Comment:
Post new commentgordy said on 2010-09-09 @ 13:59 NZDT: Report abusive post
Im my 51 years on this earth I have never felt so pertrified..my first thoughts was we had been hit by a nuclear bomb and it was Armageddon. Never ever want to experience it again
schicken said on 2010-09-08 @ 19:15 NZDT: Report abusive post
I thought the same thing initially. However, another quake big enough to close or shift the cracks further is likely to be heard first and all the kids will most likely be fine. If a child does get swallowed up, I'm probably not going to have huge empathy for the media coverage or their parents, but until then, let the region have a little bit of fun. Education about health risks regarding contaminated water may be a good idea for all. :)
thinkaboutit said on 2010-09-06 @ 23:06 NZDT: Report abusive post
More great coverage tonight TVNZ especially highlighting the situation at individual community levels where people reported they felt abandoned. All credit to those organising themselves into community working groups at this level despite this. Arguably the recovery process would be greatly enhanced if these community groups were psychologically and practically supported by establishing official coordination centres at individual community levels.
Madeleine Ware said on 2010-09-06 @ 17:31 NZDT: Report abusive post
You're making some good points here. Perhaps some of the donations could be towards purchasing and setting up storage of these sorts of things. Individuals are also responsible for making their own preparations. I clean and keep old 3L juice bottles filled with water. Every now and then I water my house plants with one and refill it to refresh it.
Madeleine Ware said on 2010-09-06 @ 17:25 NZDT: Report abusive post
Why are they buying water? Aren't there several tankers about the city giving it away?