More misery for Christchurch residents as putrid smell set to get worse
Mask up, bolt the windows and don’t hang out your undies because removing the stinking mass of material from Christchurch’s fire-damaged wastewater treatment plant is expected to make the putrid odour worse in the coming days.
For long-suffering residents of Bromley, the free $200 Prezzy card handed out by the Christchurch City Council this week, may not be enough to compensate for an even denser odour expected to blanket the area later this week.
Many residents have complained the pong has had significant health effects, including headaches, burning eyes and sore throats.
The council’s three waters head, Helen Beaumont, said the smell would get worse as material deep inside the trickling filters became exposed to the elements and started rotting.
“It’s also possible there could be some dust, but spray misters will be used continuously to control this and the odour.”
Alongside the stench and the dust, local residents are being warned there will be more noise at the treatment plant due to two chippers that will be used to process material quickly.
Beaumont said the council would monitor noise levels during the test run and explore a range of measures to keep the noise down.
The first loads of rotting material from the filters will be taken to Kate Valley Landfill in North Canterbury on Friday via Breezes Rd, State Highway 74 and SH1.
It’s unlikely residents and businesses along the route will smell the stench, as the chipped and compacted material will be placed into bins before they are sealed with a tough plastic membrane.
The ongoing struggle to live with the smelly problem in east Christchurch led the council to offer a one-off $200 Prezzy card payment to 3300 households in Bromley.
Applications for the payment opened on Monday and $23,800 was dished out that day, according to the council, but supplies ran so low that those yet to apply were asked to wait until the end of the week before doing so.
The support package was available to all residents in the area bounded by Buckleys Rd, Pages Rd, SH74 and Linwood Ave.
Affected residents who wanted a Prezzy card need to bring proof of address and photo ID to one of the following providers:
- Ngā Hau E Whā (250 Pages Rd), open from 9am to 3pm. Phone 03 382 6628.
- He Waka Tapu (161 Pages Rd), open from 8.30am to 3pm. Phone 03 373 8150.
- Bromley Community Centre (45 Bromley Rd), open from 9am to 2.30pm. Phone 03 389 1657.
- The Loft (Level 1, Eastgate Shopping Centre), open from 9am to 5pm. Phone 0800 THE LOFT (0800 865 638).
Here's Thursday's thinker!
I am lighter than air, but a hundred people cannot lift me. What am I?
Do you think you know the answer to our daily riddle? Don't spoil it for your neighbours! Simply 'Like' this post and we'll post the answer in the comments below at 2pm.
Want to stop seeing riddles in your newsfeed?
Head here and hover on the Following button on the top right of the page (and it will show Unfollow) and then click it. If it is giving you the option to Follow, then you've successfully unfollowed the Riddles page.
Poll: Should drivers retake the theory test every 10 years?
Drivers get where they need to go, but sometimes it seems that we are all abiding by different road rules (for example, the varying ways drivers indicate around a roundabout).
Do you think drivers should be required to take a quick driving theory test every 10 years?
Vote in the poll and share any road rules that you've seen bent! 😱
-
48.3% Yes
-
49.7% No
-
1.9% Other - I'll share below
Hero
“I was born and raised in war. To be honest, those are not good memories.
I really like Iran, and I really miss it, but I couldn’t be myself there. Even though my family didn’t like my decision, I left Iran. I promised myself that I would do whatever I can for all communities, especially for the kids, so they do not have the same experience I had.
I studied software engineering in Iran and left in 2006. I went to Malaysia and stayed in Kuala Lumpur for seven years. I was admitted to Lincoln University to do my PhD here, but unfortunately, I couldn’t afford the expenses. I requested a scholarship, but they told me I had to be there for six months first. So, I stayed in Malaysia and did my PhD in network security. In December 2013, I came to New Zealand with a work visa.
It took me a while to connect with the Iranian community here. I volunteered with the Multicultural Council, SPCA, and community patrol, and I established the Christchurch Iranian Society in 2017. Before that, I started working on Radio Toranj, the only Farsi-language radio show in New Zealand.
One of the reasons I started organizing cultural events was to showcase Iranian culture. I wanted to show people that we have delicious food, colorful dresses, traditional customs, and our own instruments. My hope was to show people that we are not what you see in the media.
I am working to involve all the communities that celebrate Nowruz, the Persian New Year, in the Nowruz festival in March 2025. We want to share this celebration not only with our community but with the public as well. It’s better when it’s shared.
I remember the first time someone from Dunedin called me and asked, Hero, can you help? Something happened, and they keep declining Iranian visa applications. When I heard that, I felt insulted. We are still human, so how can they do that?
Through this journey, I’ve learned a lot. Every single day, people with different cases call me, and I try to share my knowledge and guide them as much as I can.
I have received several awards, including the Christchurch Civic Award and an Award of Recognition for my contributions to the community during the pandemic. In 2021, I established Canterbury Kia Ora Academy, a charitable trust. Through this charity, I can help other communities as well, not just the Iranian community.”
- Hero
View more stories, or nominate someone: @humansofchch
www.humansofchch.org......
Loading…
