Contractors deal with a slip at Point Howard in Lower Hutt. Photo: RNZ
Lower Hutt residents, some of whom have been forced out of their homes by a landslide, say they have been warning for months about the leaking pipe that caused the slip.
Residents of 10 houses in the suburb of Point Howard have decided to evacuate while 75 households are without power after a large slip in the area.
All up, 165 houses do not have water because Wellington Water cannot access the water pipe to carry out repairs due to the slip.
Cordons had been set up at Howard Road early on Tuesday afternoon.
Wellington Water said a burst pipe brought down the slip, and it warned it was cutting off all water supplies to Point Howard while services were being restored.
Resident Stephen told RNZ the owners of a property where the slip was had been in communication with Hutt City Council and Wellington Water for nearly a year about the leak.
Fellow resident Mary-Anne Morgan said in recent weeks the leak had become bigger. "[It had] created a stream which we could hear from our house, gushing down the gully".
Morgan said a neighbour, who was an engineer, had emailed the council on Friday to say a slip was imminent.
Resident Don, who lived below the cordoned off area, said he had also approached the council about three weeks ago following heavy rainfall. He told the council about water coming off the road and causing a slip on his property as well.
He said he had had no reply.
Campbell Barry Photo:
Lower Hutt Mayor Campbell Barry said it would take around 24 hours to restore the water.
Asked about reports residents had alerted the council months ago about the risk of a slip he said the council was still looking at what complaints had been received.
"We are looking into that. We really don't know what has caused the slip. We of course had a heavy rainfall event yesterday and we'll be looking into that to get to the bottom of exactly what has caused it.
"We do have a challenge of course with leaks in the Wellington region."
"We do have a challenge of course with leaks in the Wellington region" - Lower Hutt Mayor Campbell Barry
Barry said a complaint about the same leak had been received in January, another complaint was reported in the last couple of days and had been fixed but he was unsure if the land's stability was checked on the most recent occasion.
"It's a little bit too soon to say what exactly has happened with that process."
Council staff have been door knocking to pass on information. Those who have evacuated voluntarily should stay overnight with relatives or friends or else the council could help with accommodation, he said.
Two water tankers have been sent to the area and residents could fill up their own containers from supplies on Marine Drive.
Meanwhile, another Wellington water pipe has burst, this time on Hutt Road in Kaiwharawhara.
Wellington Water said it seemed to be a redundant supply that was still connected to a main pipe.
It said crews were monitoring the leak and planned to shut down and excavate the pipe in the next day or two, when more resources were available.