Govt grants $8m for 1000 water tanks to stave off future Far North droughts
14 May, 2021 05:00 PM
4 minutes to read
Emergency water tanks in Kaikohe during the 2019-20 drought. Photo / supplied
Peter de Graaf is a reporter for the Northern Advocatepeter.degraaf@northernadvocate.co.nznorthernadvocat The Government is pumping $8 million into an iwi-led scheme to install up to 1000 water tanks at vulnerable Far North homes and community facilities to head off future droughts.
The initiative was announced at Mahimaru Marae, near Awanui, on Friday by Acting Emergency Management Minister Kris Faafoi.
It comes after a series of almost annual droughts - Northland has had seven in 11 years - with summer 2019-20 particularly brutal for town supplies in Kaikohe and Kaitaia and families relying on inadequate rainwater tanks.