A Dunedin resident is concerned a combination of rising sea levels, high tides and the increase in inclement weather will eventually destroy properties on the peninsula.
Harwood man Stuart Mathieson (70) voiced his concerns to the Otago Daily Times yesterday after a report on sea-level rise released last week said 2600 Dunedin homes were at risk.
Mr Mathieson had lived in Dunedin for 55 years and had seen numerous changes to sea levels and the impact that had on the area.
There was more flooding, more work on roads due to erosion and he was worried about homes that were already below sea level.
''There are properties at Otakou now ... I don't think it will be too far [away] that they will have to be be abandoned.
''And it's the same at Harwood. People are going to have to use them but I don't think they will get insurance cover.''
Mr Mathieson monitored sea levels on a regular basis and noted ''brimming high tides becoming increasingly obvious''.
''The increased frequency of road flood[ing] and property ponding is a relatively objective measure of the changes,'' he said.
He felt roads in the area were being raised to hold the sea back. He pointed to the Harington Point Rd works as an example.
The road had been raised by a metre, he said.
Mr Mathieson planned to monitor and record ''peak events''.
''[I'm] simply motivated by the desire for truth to prevail and unscrupulous contrarians to be exposed for the ratbags they are.''
Dunedin city councillor Neville Peat, who has lived in Dunedin for 25 years on the peninsula, said he, too, had noticed changes.
''It's such a long-term thing [but] the roads ... have had to be raised to keep them above high tide to coincide with rainfall and storm surges,'' he said.
''It is an issue on the harbour flats.
''There is no doubt there's some concerns.''
DCC roading maintenance engineer Peter Standring said roads were not raised due to rising sea levels but they were often raised during repairs. Harington Point Rd had been raised by about a metre, he said.
''Some [roads] have always been quite challenging for being low-lying. It's all about keeping water away from roads.''
When roads were repaired, the possibility of water on roads was taken into account, he said.
University of Otago Emeritus Prof Blair Fitzharris said sea levels were rising about 3.3mm a year, which might not seem like much, but over 70 years became significant.
''Satellites show it's accelerating . People say it's only rising slowly. Then we get the big storm, which there's more damage than there would have been 50 years ago. That's enough to push it [the sea] into your home.''
He said a combination of factors led to problems.
