Water Receding In Manawatu

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31109, 12 July 1966, Page 3

Water Receding In Manawatu

(New Zetland Press Association)

WELLINGTON, July 11. Floodwaters are receding and rivers dropping in the Manawatu and Wairarapa, where thousands of acres were inundated.

No stock losses have been reported. Pastures are expected to be in reasonable condition within 10 days. The Makerua Drainage Board engineer, Mr P. de Leion, said four pumps being used in the area by the Manawatu Catchment Board had pumped more than 500 million gallons since Wednesday. Farmers and drainage board employees worked throughout Sunday night to plug a 20ft gip in a stop-bank at Koputaroa which had flooded 1000 acres of farmland. The board's overseer (Mr M. Stephenson) said flood waters should recede by tomorrow morning. Farmers at Opiki were considering ploughing in a potato crop worth about £20,000 which was destroyed by flooding during the week-end. Floodwaters which reached a peak of eight feet in Lake Wairarapa had dropped about two inches today. Catchment board engineers said it would be several days before flood waters receded. Hutt County Council workmen started clearing slips on the Paekakariki Hill road and fne Akatarawa-Waikanae road today. The roads are not expected to reopen until the end of the week.

Heavy snow today hindered efforts to clear the RangipoNational Park highway, which was cut by floods on Friday. The road is not expected to be open until late tomorrow afternoon. Snow fell as low as 2000 feet on hills around Turangi today. The Turangi-Taumarunui highway was covered with two to three inches of snow.

Little rain has fallen in the district however, and the Turangi-Taupo highway, which was covered by more than a foot of water in places, was open today.

Test For Pump

(N.Z. Press Association) PALMERSTON NORTH, July 11. At Moutoua, near Shannon, the largest flood control pump in the Southern Hemisphere, capable of pumping 3,500.000 gallons an hour, had its fullscale test a few days before it was due to be officially opened. The pump is designed to pump water into the Manawatu river, but work on the installation had not been finished.

The Moutoua Drainage Board opened the bottom of the flood gates and set the pump working against the flooded river.

For three days the pump has worked continuously, holding the pumping floodwater away at the rate of 1000 gallons a second. The pump was made in West Germany.