eThekwini have refuted rumors that drinking water in and around Durban is unsafe.
Gallo Images/ Sharon Seretlo
- The eThekwini municipality says the water is safe to drink amid claims it is contaminated.
- A spokesman said the quality met SA National Standards for safe drinking water.
- The false claims were spread via social media.
The eThekwini Municipality dismissed reports that the drinking water was contaminated.
On Wednesday, the municipality’s spokesman, Msawakhe Mayisela, said the water was clean, safe to drink and met South African National Standards.
Mayisela warned against spreading false information on social media and other platforms.
He urged residents to trust the City for accurate information about the state of their water.
He said drinking water samples were taken every week and there were no reports of mass hospitalizations and gastroenteritis infections.
Umngeni Water, which supplies water to the eThekwini municipality, among several others, said the water was safe to drink.
The utility said: “There were no microbiological failures; chlorine residuals were adequate and within acceptable ranges; there was little turbidity in the final water; and the water supplied by these plants met SANS 241 requirements for quality. of drinking water”.
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The municipality gradually reopened some of its beaches, including the main beach at Umhlanga and Umdloti.
It had closed 13 beaches due to high levels of E.coli caused by raw sewage flowing into the ocean following infrastructure damage during April floods.
News24 reported that the mayor, Mxolisi Kaunda, said tourists flocked to the coastal town during the festive season, despite E.coli warnings.
He said significant progress had been made with infrastructure repairs to the sewer pump stations at Kingsway 2, Athlone and Laguna, which affected the beaches at Winklespruit, Isiphingo, Blue Lagoon and Amanzimtoti.
