A persistent smell from the Christchurch Wastewater Treatment Plant has continued to affect residents across the city, with Environment Canterbury confirming it has received more than 260 reports from the community since 6.30pm on Saturday.

An Environment Canterbury spokesperson said staff were working in key areas on Sunday to monitor conditions and respond to reports.

“The smell from the Christchurch wastewater treatment plant is still impacting people today, and our team is out working in affected areas,” the spokesperson said.

“Community reports are important as they help us target monitoring and better understand what people are experiencing.”

Residents told chrislynchmedia.com they were furious at what they described as a lack of communication from the Christchurch City Council about the ongoing odour.

Woolston resident James O’Connor said he checked the council’s website news section and found no information.

“I went on the council’s website and there was nothing,” O’Connor said.

“It was all very well for the council to send out little emails to affected residents, but the city as a hole deserves to be in the know.”

Health New Zealand has also provided advice on potential health impacts. Medical Officer of Health Dr Annabel Begg said exposure to hydrogen sulphide odour from the plant could cause nausea, headaches, eye and throat irritation, skin irritation, sleep disturbance, and worsening asthma symptoms at relatively low concentrations.

Begg said even when physical symptoms were not present, continued exposure to unpleasant odours could still have an adverse effect on people’s mental wellbeing.

“While exposure to hydrogen sulphide is unpleasant and may result in health effects, it doesn’t accumulate in the body,” Begg said. “Any health effects would be expected to resolve when the odours are brought back to normal levels, and long term health effects are highly unlikely.”

People experiencing health issues were advised to seek advice from their GP or healthcare provider, or contact Healthline. In an emergency, residents were advised to call 111.

Environment Canterbury said it would provide another update on Monday as monitoring and response work continues.

The City Council said on Sunday “We know the stench is unpleasant and disruptive, and we’re sorry for the impact this continues to have on you and your whānau. Please be assured we are doing everything we can to support the system’s recovery and reduce odour where possible.”

“Our teams have been onsite throughout the weekend closely monitoring pond conditions, odour levels and system performance. At this stage, pond conditions remain largely unchanged since our last update. Dissolved oxygen levels are still low across much of the system, so the stench is likely to continue in the short term.”