ETHEKWINI Municipality has said it feels encouraged that recent water test results done by an independent laboratory indicate that the city’s tap water remains safe to drink.
This comes after water samples collected and tested by the Durban University of Technology’s Institute for Water and Wastewater Technology (IWWT) in Winklespruit, and other areas around the city, showed there was no danger in consuming the municipal water.
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In a statement, eThekwini said the IWWT sampled and tested water from 19 sampling points, and it was tested according to the specifications of the South African National Standard (SANS) 241.
“Results indicated that no E. coli was present in any of the samples tested. In light of the recent cholera outbreak, the City continues to assure residents that the water supplied to residents complies with the requirements of SANS 241 for drinking-water quality. Our potable water continues to be sampled weekly for quality testing by our dedicated team of scientists at our accredited in-house state-of-the-art laboratory,” read the statements.
Director of the IWWT, Prof Faizal Bux, said the water tests were conducted by the standard protocol for microbiological water-quality analysis, as per SANS 241.
“Samples obtained included tap water from households and one standpipe from an informal settlement. The areas tested had a consistent supply of water during the sampling period,” said Bux.
He added that the IWWT will be testing the water every two months and sharing the information with the public. eThekwini further assured residents that the water delivered by water tankers is from the same reservoirs that are tested at the same lab.
When not using water from the water tankers, the public has been encouraged to always use trusted water sources and to practice good hand hygiene to prevent waterborne diseases.
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