Nor'West News: May 31, 2016

8
Tuesday May 31 2016
Your Local Views
Protect our streams
This week’s Soapbox
is from Fendalton-
Waimairi Community
Board member Faimeh
Burke about the state of
streams in her ward and
what she believes are
the factors behind the
decline in water levels
Once flowing through the north-west
suburbs of Christchurch and being a
treasure for young and old, streams
including the Waimairi and Wai-iti have
dried up since March last year.
The crystal clear water has given way to
stormwater mixed with rubbish and contaminates.
The fact that the aesthetics of these
streams has been damaged is not the only
issue for residents. The effects on fish, bird
habitats, recreational values, serious mosquito
problems and unpleasant smells are
also causing great concern for them.
There are various reasons which have all
possibly contributed to the disruption of
the springs that fed the streams in our city.
A significant increase of irrigation
consents issued by ECan in inland Canterbury,
ECan’s failure to efficiently protect
our streams, rivers and lakes from the
negative effects of stock damage as well as
environmentally unfriendly developments
are among the factors which might have
contributed to the deteriorating situation.
Although we can’t prevent the earthquakes
and the damage that they might
create and don’t have any direct influence
in the amount of the rainfall, we
should try our best to prevent further
man-made damages and remedy the existing
ones. Forests, grasslands and wetlands
act like sponges that slow down and absorb
water when it rains.
However, in cities, where these areas are
often replaced with impermeable surfaces
such as roads, footpaths and car parks,
water is no longer absorbed by the action
of the plants and instead flows directly into
streams via the stormwater system.
After listening to residents, the Fendalton-Waimairi
Community Board has asked
the city council to give a high priority to
investigate remedies for the regeneration of
the Wai-iti stream, as part of its integrated
water strategy which includes the health of
spring-fed rivers and streams.
It is also time that ECan seriously reconsiders
the consequences of its increased
irrigation consents and its lenient way of
protecting our streams.
We can’t afford to do nothing, after all, it
is quality of our life which is at stake.
•Have you noticed a decline in water
in the north-west water ways? Do you
agree that more should be done to
protect these waterways? Share your
views with us, email andrew.king@
starmedia.kiwi
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A reader responds to a
recent article about St
Albans residents unhappy
about the $76m Northern
Arterial and Cranford St four
laning projects:
Ian McKenzie, St Albans
– I support the call from the St
Albans Residents Association
for more public transport and
cycling options and not spending $76m
on delivering more traffic
more efficiently into upper Cranford St
to the detriment of St Albans and the
city.
I made a verbal submission last
year making the same protest to the
Canterbury Regional Council, the city
council, New Zealand Transport Agency
and the city council Northern Arterial
Corridor Project RMA applications and
hearing.
We need more people in the city, we
don’t need more cars.
I suggest that the Northern Arterial
and Cranford St road upgrade options
ignore history and international
developments in transport planning for
cities.
There has been a strong public lobby,
post-earthquakes, for improved public
transport, for a pedestrian and cyclistfriendly
city.
The concept of delivering a greater
number of cars to mid-Cranford St and
then having the drivers sort themselves
out from there to their various city
destinations is, in my view, counter to
the concepts expressed by residents and
captured in the vision of ‘An Accessible
City’.
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NOR’WEST NEWS
A reader responds to a recent
article about a camera being used
to deter clients visiting sex workers
in a suburban setting:
Mae Kiely, city centre – “If we can get
them to move back into the city centre it
will make both parties happier”, quote
from city councillor Ali Jones.
The article was advocating to get
sex workers to relocate back into the
city centre and out of the suburbs and
therefore away from the people and
children living in those suburbs.
What about the people and children
living in the city centre? Don’t we
matter? Just get the sex workers out of
your area.
Too bad if you happen to live in the
city centre, is that the approach?
We live around the corner from the
Margaret Mahy playground where
hundreds of children come to play –
and it’s my understanding that the
council wants families to come back
into the centre. I live on Peterborough
St with my two children and we have
neighbours with children. Are you really
saying that it’s okay for sex workers to
be around city centre children but not
suburban children?
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