John MacDonald: Don't swallow the arguments against this water upgrade

I’ve never had a problem with the chlorine that’s been in Christchurch's water.  Which is why I'm not at all upset at the news that it’s going to be in the water forever.  What’s happened, is city councillors have been told that - even if they spent $1.5 billion on infrastructure upgrades over the next 20 years - the chlorine would most likely still be needed.  That’s because of all the hoops that have to be jumped through to get a chlorine exemption.  On top of that, rates would have to go up to pay for ongoing maintenance.   Nevertheless, i think the council needs to bite the bullet and spend the money. Because, for me, this isn’t just about chlorine.  But what i see potentially happening, is councillors using the chlorine bit as an out. As an excuse for not spending money on infrastructure upgrades. When that is the last thing, they should be doing.  City Councillor Yani Johanson seems to be on the same page as me. He reckons that, despite the $1.5 billion price tag, it’s still worth looking into and he wants the public to have a say.  But Mayor Phil Mauger says it would be nothing other than a waste of money.  He says: “it’s all very well saying you can throw a shedload of money at every contractor in the country, digging up every road that we’ve got. But it’s not worth it.”  Phil’s got some alternative ideas, which I'll get to.  But what he’s advocating for is a continuation of what pretty much every local body politician in this country has done and continues to do. Kicking cans down the road. They’re experts at it.  Whereas, what Christchurch should be doing is seeing this as a critical piece of infrastructure spending that is needed in New Zealand's second-largest city.  Especially when you consider the alternatives ideas floating around.  Instead of the big spend-up on new pipes, Phil Mauger reckons it would be better for the council to do things like buying filtration systems for people to have at home and setting-up chlorine-free water stations around town.    Picture that. The council sending out filtration kits in the mail - the way it sent out those portable toilets after the earthquakes.  And the council running water station around town where people could go to get chlorine-free water. Really?  People bang on about the city needing to look less like a disaster zone. What do you think the council distributing filtering systems and running water pick-up points would look like?  And, all the while, crossing its finger and hoping that the underground infrastructure doesn't pack a sad.  It makes no sense.    LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.