Damage to pipes may cut Christchurch water for months

PARTS of Christchurch could be without running water for months after it was revealed damage to is worse than first thought.

Emergency services sift through rubble at the CTV tower.

PARTS of Christchurch could be without running water for months after it was revealed damage to the city's underground infrastructure is worse than first thought.

Residents have been warned not to drink from the local water supply, and much of the city remains without access to water.

Five large milk vats filled with fresh water are being installed around Christchurch. Fonterra dairy company chief executive Andrew Ferrier said the vats would be installed in areas around the city as recommended by Civil Defence Department authorities.

"Having these vats will give more people access to the water they desperately need. We will have a tanker on standby to refill the vats as the water gets taken," he said.

"We've already supplied over 400,000 litres of water."." The lack of fresh water has prompted serious health concerns, amid reports raw sewage has seeped into cracked pipes and into the city's water supply.

Tens of thousands of cases of bottled water have been trucked in from Wellington. They are being distributed from local schools.

"The scale of the damage across the city is immense," Christchurch Mayor Bob Parker said.

Mr Parker urged the people of Canterbury to pull together in the city's time of crisis.

He said neighbours should consider digging shared latrines in their local area.

The damage to the city's infrastructure was far more widespread than that experienced in the earthquake that hit the city in September.

About a third of homes are without electricity. Roger Sutton, chief executive of energy company Orion, said the underground electricity cables had suffered extensive damage.

About 70 per cent of the city's residents were expected to have power by this afternoon.

There is also a petrol shortage, with many service stations unable to use their pumps because of the lack of power.

Meanwhile, New Zealand police yesterday vowed to crack down on looters as the home of a woman feared dead was burgled while her children kept vigil near the disaster zone.

The family of missing television producer Donna Manning said their home was burgled on Wednesday night as her two children waited outside the flattened CTV building desperately waiting for news from rescue crews.

Ms Manning's brother Maurice Gardiner said he felt powerless after the theft.

"Bad things happen. We are all suffering bad things as a result of this earthquake that we can't help," he told TVNZ.

Police said there had been about a dozen cases of looting in the city following Tuesday's quake, including the theft of generators being used to restore infrastructure.

District Commander Dave Cliff said police would "saturate" the city and surrounding suburbs with patrols and strictly enforce a curfew around the cordoned off heart of Christchurch.

He said Australian police and New Zealand Defence Force personnel would also take part in the crackdown.