A practical solution for those worst affected

Mayoral candidate Jim Anderton is urging that we do not forget about the people whose lives have been disrupted from the earthquake and still lack the essential services of sewerage and water.

Jim Anderton said “Except for the occasional aftershock, for the majority of us living in Christchurch, life is almost back to normal but we must remember that hundreds of homes in Brooklands, Bexley, Dallington, Avonside and Papanui will have to wait some considerable time before their essential services and their lives are restored to normal.

“For these people, the prospect of bad weather, hygiene concerns, sanitation and related health issues have the potential to make their lives a misery until such as time as running water and flushing toilets are restored.

“People cannot live in these conditions for long so I urge the council to prioritise these areas and supply special water holding tanks or portable chemical toilets where no sewerage connection is possible. This would be no more costly than moving residents out of their houses and would at least give people some normality back into their lives again.

“There are two parts to our city right now, it’s no one’s fault, just a fact. One part of the city has got off lightly and hasn’t been too disrupted by the affects of the earthquake and the other parts of the city that have been badly hit and its residents face the stress of life without running water and toilets and the ongoing uncertainty and worry over whether their precious homes face demolition.

“We must continue to do what we can for these people, our fellow citizens and neighbours. Let’s not put them out of sight and out of mind. As the media moves away from covering the quake, these people will still be suffering. We should do what we can to make their lives as normal as possible and provide simple and practical solutions that will ease their current problems”, says Anderton.

ENDS

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