MANGAWHAI'S NO.1 NEWSPAPER
|
|
Letters to the Editor
Planning group disbands Sadly, I need to inform you that the Mangawhai Community Planning Group, initiated two years ago by the Mangawhai Residents and Ratepayers Association, has now disbanded. Our two main focuses have been the pedestrian and cycle network and modern, ecologically-friendly waste water treatment. Both of these are urgently needed here. Apart from myself none of the group members believe there is any longer any opportunity to influence the Kaipara District Council and its administration in a positive way. But, wouldn’t it be fantastic when we stop to look for excuses for the Mangawhai Waste Water disaster, naming it “bad management” or “corruption”. Wouldn’t it be fantastic searching for solutions? Not only in Mangawhai the wastewater treatment is in trouble. Nearly every community struggles with the horrific expensive and inefficient common system. ‘Don’t swim, don’t eat shellfish’ signs are only the top of a hidden iceberg. The old-fashioned wastewater experts look only in the tunnel of the ‘one pipe fits all household liquids’ system. But, human waste does not belong to the water loop. It belongs to the nutrient loop. We draw your attention to our website pee-happy.com with some basic information about innovative wastewater treatment systems. This may give you an idea what could be possible if we just allowed ourselves to think about options for treating yellow, black and grey water separately. The most efficient way to start is collecting the yellow water separately – yellow water contains 70 per cent of all nutrients in the waste water mix. Let us use it as fertiliser and for chemical purposes. Therefore, we promote flush-less unisex urinals. The Council may be stuck in the mud of bureaucratic nonsense. But some developer may be more open-minded and have an interest to create affordable beautiful places to live in. Christian Simon Mangawhai |