WAIRARAPA FLOODS RECEDE

Chronicle (Levin), 2 July 1947, Page 6

WAIRARAPA FLOODS RECEDE

SCHEME TO WIDEN OUTLET OF LAKE "" MASTERTON, July 1. The flood waters are defini'tely dropping fairly rapi'dly, Mr. R. A. 'Donaldy chairman of the Wairarapa South River Board, stated today. Lake Onoke, he said, had dropped from 8 feet above normal ievel at middav yesterday to 6 feet above normal this morning, . while Wairarapa Lake had dropped about 10 inehes in the same period. When the level of Wairarapa Lake had dropped to 10 feet above normal, the fall of water wouid be less rapid and the stopbanks at the narrow.would then be breached by blasting to get the water away more quickly. Sormof the settlers were requesting thai their stopbanks shotfid be breached likewise to get rid of the water more rapidly. It might be possible to opeh the narrows' stopbanhs tomorr'ow. The present flood, said Mr. Donalcl. was proof that the plan proposed for widening the outlet of Wairarapa Lake Lnto Onoke, was on the right tines an'1 that the scheme should be carried oui as quickly as p'ossible. Gnless tha. work was carried out there would be u repetition of the present flood. Aceord ing to the engineers' estiinates, the scheme * would have coped with tlm

presenl flood easily as it was based on a rainfall of 12 inches over the whole area in 24 hours, whereas in the floo-i the rainfall was 10 inches m 48 hours. Had the schemes proposed been in exis tein-e there would have been no flood ingMr. Donald said that no. aceurateestimate of stock losses was possible ycl though they were likely to be tht biggest the district had ever suft'ered. All availabie boats in the fiooded areas were organised under police supervision this morning and spent the day carrying food to isolated home steads and attempthig to save stock. The dropping of supplies by air to the 12 people marooned on one and ahalf acres of land at Kumenga was discontinued when it was found that a motor-boat was able to traverse the calmer waters. The four women of the marooned partv were to have been evacuated today by motor boat, but the menfolk were to have remained to assist with the feeding of stock. At the residence of Mr. -E. C. Holmes,

the 70-year-old farmer of Te Hopai, who is sheltering about a dozen people, all is well. Water still surrounds the homestead but the men have been able to go out in boats and take some feed to stranded cattle and sheep. The postmaster at Pirinoa said this morning that water in the bottom lake was going out quite fast but that the top lake was still very full. On a stop hank at the narrows one farmer had 700 or 800 sheep marooned, and today intended going out in a boat in an aftempt to rope their legs and bring them in to safety. It was thought to be an arduous task, but if the sheep werifed while they huddled on the bank they would probably. be drowned through flghting over the food. There was little hope, the post master said, of estimating the losses in stock. In many eases sheep and eattle from several properties had herded to gether on one high point and it would take some time to sort them out.