Your views: Readers' letters

Flooding myths

Your correspondent M. Norris, sitting comfortably above any flooding up on St John's Hill, perpetuates many of the urban myths regarding the flooding/stopbank issue.

Regardless of what some might think, professional advice is that dredging makes absolutely no difference and is far more expensive than stopbanks. Where on earth would we put all those dredgings anyway, even if it were economically feasible? Perhaps Virginia Lake, on St John's Hill; then we would have a decent piece of land we could sell to reduce debt.

What actually happens is that silt simply fills up the places that are dredged in the next flood. That is why the river mouth has to continually be dredged to allow ships access.

Raising the stopbanks along Anzac Parade would have negligible effects, if any, on Taupo Quay flooding, because there is very little land in behind the stopbanks that would accommodate the water anyway.

As for ponding areas past Cobham Bridge, last time I looked there were none, and what small pieces of land might be available, like the area behind the stopbanks, certainly do not have the capability to hold the amount of water that came down the river in June 2015.

I would also point out to M. Norris that some people who bought properties along Anzac Parade had no idea their property was prone to flooding, and a number of houses that flooded, had never flooded before June 2015.

Perhaps these people should have done better homework and perhaps Kowhai Park, the Girls' College Hostel (and their hockey field) and a main highway route should never have been built there in the first place.

However, they are there now, and given the prohibitive cost of moving them all, as well as many homes, stopbanks seem a very cheap option to me.

As for these residents taking responsibility for their own decisions, instead of asking the community to help build reasonable flooding protection along Anzac Parade, Putiki Drive and Taupo Quay, I would point out to that we all subsidise something in this community that we do not actually use ourselves and for which others get the benefit.

STEVE BARON
Whanganui East

River's rights

I am absolutely thrilled and excited by the news that the Whanganui River is now its own entity.

A world first.

Congratulations to the people that ensured this result.

I have a query.

Does this stop Whanganui/Manawatu Horizons and Wanganui District Council from forcing more stopbanks on River?

As River is its own entity, does that stop people trying to put it in jail?

River needs to flow freely, unimpeded without restrictions.

No more stopbanks, no more pollutants being disposed off into River, no more taking River's waters for irrigation.

I hope River has found good legal representation.

JENNIFER GRAMMATICOGIANNIS
Whanganui

Sad society

How sad that we can legislate for a scenic feature to have rights of personhood, while Parliament looks at making it even easier to take the life of unborn human beings.

One day we may be a civilised society that looks after those who have no voice and cannot stand up for themselves.

Until then I suppose we will go on seeing the environment as god and convenience as king while disregarding the countless human babies being torn limb from limb as they are ripped from their mothers' wombs (where their fathers put them) each year.

MANDY DONNE-LEE
Aramoho