The Cook Islands Minister of Infrastructure has denied there were mistakes in the planning of a water mains project.
Last week the contractor of a project to lay new mains under 25 kilometres of road on Rarotonga said the improved water pressure is too much for some houses to handle.
He said 40 percent of houses had old plumbing and the new system will cause burst pipes and major leaks.
The Infrastructure Minister Teariki Heather responded to claims from the secretary of the ministry, Mac Mokoroa, that a proper feasibility study should have been carried out before work started.
"I don't think there was a mistake, we were sort of like trying to get the project up and running, get all the leaky pipes especially the mains and we'll address that issue now because as of last week they've identified the amount of leaky pipes."
Teariki Heather says families will have to fund their own upgrades if the new water pressure is too much for their homes and causes problems.
