The City of Johannesburg’s MMC for Environment and Infrastructure Services Department, councillor Michael Sun, notes with concern the recent posts of a typhoid outbreak circulating on social media.
The social media posts come just days after Sun’s visit to Johannesburg Water’s Cydna Laboratory in Houghton.
The purpose of Sun’s visit to the Cydan laboratory was to conduct oversight on the work of the 31 laboratory analysts, microbiologists, lab assistants and managers to ensure that Johannesburg Water’s supply to residents is regulatory-compliant, of “Blue Drop” status and safe to drink.
Johannesburg Water’s laboratory team extracts about 4 700 water samples from facilities, such as reservoirs, outlets and waterways per month and conducts a 23-parameter test on each sample, including tests for bacteria, such as Escherichia coli (E.coli) and other heavy metals.
The parameters measured are well within the South African National Standards (SANS) for drinking water quality standards and no harmful bacteria had been detected at the Johannesburg Water’s potable water reservoirs in the tests. Johannesburg Water undertakes several tests at its SANS-accredited Cydna Laboratory. The laboratory team conducts daily sampling for microbiological analysis and chemical analysis on several selected sampling points across the distribution network in Johannesburg.
The quality of drinking water in the distribution network on determinants tested (July to December 2021) met legislated standards. All physical, chemical and biological health-related parameters complied with the SANS 241 drinking water quality standard.
We also note that Johannesburg Water’s source of supply, Rand Water, has also communicated on its website that it uses a disinfection water treatment process to inactivate bacteria such as Salmonella typhi (Typhoid), and its compliance report shows that drinking water supplied by Rand Water complies with SANS 241.
As an extra precaution, Joburg Water has engaged with external and independent laboratories to conduct Typhoid tests for bacteria. Results of the latest tests will be communicated as soon as they are available.
Sun calls upon the residents not to consume water from rivers and dams and avoid using such water for bathing or washing, as such untreated water may contain harmful bacteria and substances. It is also important not to share unconfirmed information about an outbreak and create unnecessary panic in the community.
Meanwhile, the National Institute for Communicable Diseases said in a statement on February 21 that there is no evidence that recent cases of Typhoid fever are linked to contaminated municipal water in any part of the country. The organisation said this in response to social media posts saying cases identified in certain parts of the country are caused by contaminated municipal water. It says the statements are incorrect.
It added that the areas affected have small, localised outbreaks or clusters. If residents have any concerns regarding the quality of drinking water, they can contact Johannesburg Water on its 24-hour hotline: 0860 562 874 or Rand Water on 0800 029 999.
