Keeping Culverts Clear
Monday 9 July 2007, 4:31PM
By Federated Farmers of New Zealand
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Taranaki farmers take their responsibility of clearing culverts very seriously, because they know that blockages can cause major problems and a lot of damage, said Bryan Hocken, President of Taranaki Federated Farmers.
Taranaki has thousands of culverts, which are pipes of varying sizes placed under tracks to help drain away water and keep stock out of waterways.
“During heavy rain, there is always a chance that a piece of wood or clump or earth will block a culvert. Farmers should be out on their farm checking to make sure their culverts are draining as they should be. If it’s too dangerous to unblock the culvert yourself, you need to get the experts in as soon as possible.
Mr Hocken’s comments come after a blocked culvert caused a flash flood and washed through a house in Okato, Taranaki early Sunday morning.
“It’s unclear exactly what went wrong in this instance but I can assure the public that farmers make every effort to clear their culverts. They don’t want to see people’s houses being flooded, and see all the damage caused to their own and their neighbour’s farms.
Farmers invest considerable amounts of effort and resources to maintain good drainage on farm land, and it is in no one’s interests when all that work goes to waste.
Taranaki has thousands of culverts, which are pipes of varying sizes placed under tracks to help drain away water and keep stock out of waterways.
“During heavy rain, there is always a chance that a piece of wood or clump or earth will block a culvert. Farmers should be out on their farm checking to make sure their culverts are draining as they should be. If it’s too dangerous to unblock the culvert yourself, you need to get the experts in as soon as possible.
Mr Hocken’s comments come after a blocked culvert caused a flash flood and washed through a house in Okato, Taranaki early Sunday morning.
“It’s unclear exactly what went wrong in this instance but I can assure the public that farmers make every effort to clear their culverts. They don’t want to see people’s houses being flooded, and see all the damage caused to their own and their neighbour’s farms.
Farmers invest considerable amounts of effort and resources to maintain good drainage on farm land, and it is in no one’s interests when all that work goes to waste.