Ohakune water shutdown likely to last longer than expected
The town of Ohakune in New Zealand is facing a prolonged water supply shutdown following damage to a major pipeline caused by a recent earthquake. Local officials are struggling to repair the aging infrastructure and may need to implement emergency water systems.
Why it matters
Infrastructure failure following natural disasters highlights the vulnerability of regional communities and the challenges of emergency management.
Water supplies to Ohakune have been turned off after damage that was likely caused by last month's earthquake.
Ohakune’s pipeline problem is more serious than originally thought, with the local mayor unable to confirm when the town will have water again.
Water supplies to the central North Island town were turned off after last month’s earthquake near Taumarunui likely damaged a major water pipeline.
The town’s water reservoir is down to 12%.
Ruapehu District Mayor Weston Kirton told RNZ’s Morning Report it had been more difficult to fix the piping than had been initially thought.
“We’ve found the leak, we’ve actually fixed the leak, we’ve then tried to flush the system out and it’s not working that well ... and so we’re obviously working hard to overcome that problem.”
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in