Some parts of Johannesburg, including Kyalami, Woodmead, Kelvin and Lyndhurst, have received tap water which is as white as milk.
Concerned residents expressed their health safety fears to Fourways Review. The problem was initially spotted during the weekend of 16 and 17 April.
“Is this water still safe to drink?” asked one Kyalami resident who asked to remain anonymous.
A Lyndhurst resident, Yvonne Mazvie, said the water usually changes colour every time pipes are reconnected after being cut.
Spokesperson for Joburg Water, Eleanor Mavimbela, attributed the water’s excessive white colour to air which, she said, dissolved into the water during routine maintenance exercises.
“Maintenance was performed in the listed areas which could [have] allowed air to enter the system. Air dissolves in water under pressure and it is released when the water is dispensed. At that moment, the water has a white colour which will clear from the bottom of the glass/container as the dissolved air is released,” said Mavimbela
Mavimbela did not explicitly pronounce the extent to which the water is safe to drink, but did offer to sample the liquid. “However, if Joburg Water could be provided with physical addresses where this issue occurred, sampling will be arranged,” said Mavimbela.
