Located in the Wellington capital region, the New Zealand town of Lower Hutt is being terrorized by an invisible enemy. Its population refers to it by an unambiguous name: “the stench”. Omnipresent, it floats in the air, seeps through windows, contaminates laundry, causes nausea, etc. ThThe Guardian set down his suitcases there (with caution) in order to find out more.
“It’s like a poorly ventilated toilet”summarizes Anthony Coomer, who is one of the city’s 110,000 inhabitants. “It’s like the worst baby diaper smell you’ve ever smelled…and that’s what it feels like in your mouth.” Because like any persistent bad smell, you end up feeling like you have it on your taste buds.
A life inside
What is reassuring is that the origin of this absolutely unbearable odor has been precisely identified. It is due to the Seaview wastewater treatment plant, located in a semi-industrial and semi-residential area along the northern shores of Wellington Harbour. Most of the time the smell comes and goes – some days it’s pungent, other days it’s non-existent. But in recent months it has become stronger and more frequent due to equipment failures and a fire that broke out in the plant’s drying system.
Problem: Although local authorities say they are working to minimize odors and reduce the risk, it may be a few years before a reliable new system is installed. The city’s population is dismayed: will they have to get used to no longer parking outside and just running from their vehicles to their homes, hoping that “the stench” doesn’t enter too much? the interior?
Creator of a Facebook group called “Stop the Stench”, Danielle Willis explains that when the smell in question is felt at its strongest (it all depends on the day and the weather), “you are literally gagging”. It is impossible for residents to enjoy their garden or let their children play outside. “You have a barbecue with your family and then boom, you have to run inside and close all the doors. You can’t taste your food, it’s unreal”comments Anthony Coomer.
According to these two residents, the local authorities responsible for the factory are to blame: they could have dealt with the problem at the root but they did not. The population had to express their discontent for things to finally move a little. “Tracking them was exhaustingsummarizes Anthony Coomer. It was only through constant pressure that they managed to do something. (…) Clean air and a functioning factory should be fundamental elements.”
Source: www.slate.fr
