Raw sewage issues at medical centre

Dr Wim Ruelens outside the relocatable cabin at The Doctors on Desmond Road, where sewage issues have caused major disruptions to the business. The cabin, usually used for possible Covid-19 cases, is being used as a temporary clinic. Pictures by Liam Clayton

A Gisborne medical centre has been forced to close after torrential rain forced raw sewage back up its pipes into toilets and sinks.

On Monday, The Doctors sent a memo to all patients saying it could only do phone consults this week due to health and safety reasons related to the issue.

A small number of patients have been seen in person at a cabin outside the Desmond Rd clinic, but the centre says the sewage has caused major disruption.

“I cannot describe the smell, it’s horrendous,” centre manager Paula Neshausen said.

It isn’t the first time the clinic has been plagued by the problem, with the same issue unfolding during cyclones Hale and Gabrielle.

Neshausen said she had contacted Gisborne District Council about it multiple times, and again last Thursday, but a long-term solution had yet to be found.

“We ring and put through the request, and we don’t hear anything back. We don’t get any updates, we get nothing.

“It’s really frustrating . . . it really feels like the council doesn’t care about the health of our community.”

On top of the health concerns, rearranging appointments put extra stress on both patients and staff, Neshausen said.

Fulton Hogan contractors had sucked excess water out of the drains on Tuesday this week, but there were still concerns about what the next big rain could bring.

In response to questions from Local Democracy Reporting, council community lifelines director Dave Wilson said the council hadn’t received reports of any issues at The Doctors until Monday morning, at which point its contractor went out immediately.

The issue was due to excess rain entering the sewer system and a clean-up was all that could be done until levels receded, he said.

“Wastewater is running at around 450 percent of normal flows which brings a whole new set of challenges, including sewage not being able to escape.

“We have been working to try to manage the wastewater network since Thursday last week.”

Wilson said at its peak, the system was experiencing 600 percent of normal flows due to the amount of water flowing through.

“We have had a number of issues with wastewater backing up on to private properties across the city network, which we apologise for.”

Residents with wastewater issues are encouraged to contact the council, which can send teams out to clean and disinfect properties, Wilson said.