Greenpeace is holding a rally outside Environment Canterbury on the council’s final sitting day before elections, to bring nitrate-contaminated drinking water directly to the regional council.

The rally will take place on September 17th at 9:30am outside Environment Canterbury’s Christchurch headquarters. Greenpeace is asking participants to bring a jar of their drinking water with them.

Greenpeace spokesperson Will Appelbe says "Environment Canterbury are burying their heads in the sand and expecting that Canterbury’s drinking water crisis will magically resolve itself - but the reality is, fixing water pollution is Environment Canterbury’s responsibility.

"That’s why on September 17th, we’ll be delivering nitrate contaminated drinking water from homes across the region to the people responsible for enabling that contamination.

"At a time when lakes and rivers are unswimmable, and rural people can’t even drink the water coming out of their kitchen tap without worrying about getting sick, Environment Canterbury has greenlit more than 16,000 extra dairy cattle onto the Canterbury plains in just the last eight months."

Appelbe says, "Intensive dairying is the main source of nitrate pollution in Canterbury, and Environment Canterbury knows this. Ignoring the problem is not going to make it go away - so we’re bringing the issue to the council’s doorstep."

"The people of Canterbury want clean drinking water now, and they’re willing to vote for it. Our challenge to ECan candidates is: who’s willing to stand up to defend Canterbury’s fresh water by ending dairy expansion and phasing out the use of synthetic nitrogen fertiliser?"

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