As I write this at eight o’clock on a Wednesday evening the hum of machinery is a constant backdrop. Closer to midnight, as everything else goes quiet, the sound seems deafening.

The noise is associated with our ongoing sewerage scheme construction, which has been disrupting the lives of Porepunkah residents in various ways since February.

Having just reviewed the history of this ill-fated scheme, I can tell you the water board announced in February last year that the work should have been finished in February this year!

I heard on the grapevine that their preferred (cheapest) tenderer had to withdraw because the company realised it couldn’t do the job as quoted in the rocky sub-soil conditions.

The noise I’m referring to seems to be coming from generators and/or pumps, presumably to stop water from filling the numerous holes overnight.

If the work had been done on schedule the workers could have finished this job in summer during twilight hours. I can’t fault their commitment, as they’re on the case from dawn to dusk.

It’s unreasonable though, that we should be putting up with undue noise through the night because someone behind a desk made bad decisions.