Letter: River a convenient drain for effluent

OPINION: On hearing that Manawatu River was one of the most polluted waterways in the West, I was appalled. I totally agree with UnitedFuture leader Peter Dunne when he says that for "too long fertiliser runoff and effluent discharges had gone unpunished and urgent action was needed", and that he supports "imposing tough limits on fertiliser use and waste discharge as self-regulation was not strong enough for many polluters".

I then followed with great interest the progress of Manawatu regional council's One Plan.

Silly me. Using the words of its chairman, Garrick Murfitt, it has "put to bed the scaremongering rampant amongst advocacy groups". So the Manawatu is now officially sanctioned as a convenient drain for farm effluent because farmers say they can't afford to run their farms in an environmentally sustainable way because the cost would cause them to "suffer a financial blow".

What other industry is allowed to pass on its waste problems for others, including future generations, to pay? And what about the cost to kayakers, anglers and swimmers, now denied the use of our publicly owned resources?

DOUG STEVENS

Khandallah

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