Unitywater has responded to people panic-buying toilet paper and bottled water ahead of Cyclone Alfred, saying there are simple solutions if these products are unavailable.
Unitywater executive manager Strategic Engagement, Joshua Zugajev, said if people had no toilet paper and had to use an alternative like paper towel or tissues, the answer was simple: bin them, don’t flush them.
“We don’t mind what you use, but if it’s not toilet paper, please put it in the bin,” Mr Zugajev said.
“Flushing anything other than toilet paper will could cause unpleasant blockages in your private plumbing at home, and blockages and unpleasant overflows in our network,” he said.
“Even tissues are a problem, like wet wipes, they don’t break down like toilet paper does.”
Mr Zugajev said there was also a simple solution for no bottled water on supermarket shelves.
“You don’t need to buy bottled water. Fill up containers (that have a lid), jerry cans and bottles at home, with fresh, clean water straight from the tap,” he said.
“We encourage you to set aside 10 litres of water per person for drinking and basic hygiene in case you experience a water interruption as a result of Cyclone Alfred.”
Mr Zugajev said Unitywater’s customer service counters in Maroochydore and Mango Hill had temporarily closed from midday Wednesday 5 March, with customers encouraged to access self-service options at unitywater.com.
“While our teams respond to this significant weather event, we ask that customers leave their account-related enquiries until the cyclone has passed. If you have a water or wastewater-related issue, please report it to us at www.unitywater.com/faults,” he said.
“Our crews will respond to network faults as quickly as possible, but only when it is safe for them to travel to a job site and be outside performing work.”
