2023-12-27 18:32:36
Living near a wastewater treatment plant is never easy. For the residents of Lower Hutt, a town located a few kilometers from the New Zealand capital Wellington, the occasional inconvenience has turned into a real ordeal.
An upcoming festival
As reported by New Zealand Herald, residents have indeed been experiencing nauseating odors for more than two months. These odors come from work carried out at the neighboring wastewater treatment plant aimed at replacing the biofilters, necessary for the treatment of wastewater. A project which should continue until next February.
However, the stench was so strong that some residents developed headaches and fell ill. Around a hundred complaints have also been filed since October 31 in order to obtain compensation. The Wellington Regional Council has already taken action, imposing nearly 40,000 euros in fines on the station’s owner, Wellington Water, its operator, the French company Veolia, and the city’s municipal council.
Reduce the intensity of odors
Residents fear that the situation will become even more worrying in the coming weeks, indicates the Guardian. In fact, the town is due to host a major hip-hop festival from January 5. An event in which several big names such as Ashanti, T-Pain and TI will participate, and which should attract several thousand visitors.
The mayor tried to reassure the population by declaring that this influx would not worsen the situation. Veolia, for its part, has installed machines for dispersing deodorizing chemicals in an attempt to reduce the intensity of the scent.
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