Manukau Courier20-02-07
Rancid silt
With regard to the letter by Peter Hansen about the removal of mangroves at
Waimahia Creek (Manukau Courier, February 13).
People should log on to the website www.niwascience.co.nz/pub/wa/1l-1mangroves
and read the artide.
Mangroves are choking our inner waterways and turning sand into rancid silt.
Their function is to collect sediment and stop water flow.. This in turn turns
the water stagnant and allows more mangroves to grow which will in time, if
left unchecked, turn the estuary back to solid land.
As a boy I spent hours wandering in the mud around the Manukau and even then it
was smelly and discoloured.
The mangroves stop the natural flushing action of the tide and leave all the
waste and sediment in the harbour initead of it being flushed out to Sea
1 realise this pollution is coming from the land but let�s keep it flushingout to
sea.
We don�t let our toilets backup by not flushing so let�s not do it to our
harbour.
ROGER MURRAY
Mangere