eThekwini Municipality refutes rumours of contaminated and unsafe drinking water

eThekwini has refuted rumours drinking water in Durban and surrounds is unsafe.

• The eThekwini Municipality says the water is safe to drink amid claims that it is contaminated.
• A spokesperson said the quality met the SA National Standards for safe drinking water.
• The false claims were spread through social media.

The eThekwini Municipality dismissed reports which claimed the drinking water was contaminated. 

On Wednesday, the municipality’s spokesperson, Msawakhe Mayisela, said the water was clean, safe to drink, and met the South African National Standards.

Mayisela cautioned against the spread of false information on social media and other platforms.

He urged residents to rely on the City for accurate information about the state of the water.

He said potable water was sampled every week and there were no reports of mass hospitalisations 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 low turbidity in the final water; and water supplied from these plants complied with the requirements of SANS 241 for drinking water quality.”

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The municipality gradually reopened some of its beaches, including Umhlanga Main Beach and Umdloti.

It had closed 13 beaches due to high E.coli levels caused by raw, untreated sewage flowing into the ocean following infrastructure damage during the April floods.

News24 reported that the mayor, Mxolisi Kaunda, said holidaymakers were flocking to the coastal city over the festive season, despite E.coli warnings. 

He said significant progress had been made with infrastructural repairs of sewer pump stations in Kingsway 2, Athlone and Laguna, which impacted beaches at Winklespruit, Isiphingo, Blue Lagoon and Amanzimtoti.