Is our water safe to drink?
This is a question that needs to be answered by the Nelson Mandela Bay municipality because even its own officials are at odds over sampling results at testing sites in April.
It emerged at a public health committee meeting on Tuesday that the city had once again detected high levels of bromodichloromethane — a chemical byproduct which causes cancer if consumed for a long period, along with fatigue and dizzy spells.
The municipality’s public health department found that the quality of the city’s drinking water for chronic health compliance remained non-compliant for April, sitting at 37.5%.
The tap water also had high levels of E. coli — faecal matter which officials were unable to determine whether it came from animals or humans.
Samples were taken at water points between April 3 and April 17.
This is not the first time that the city’s water quality has failed to meet the required standards.
This has transpired a few times over the years, with municipal bosses forced to explain why they had used low-quality chemicals to treat the water.
Safe drinking water is a basic human right, and failing to provide it could prove detrimental to our health and safety.
And now, instead of explaining how the city will fix the infrastructure or chemical problems that may be causing the water to be unsafe, the departments of public health and infrastructure are fighting over which figures are authentic.
The infrastructure and engineering department is responsible for the quality of water and public health does the testing.
The point is that the reasons for the pollution and high levels of chemicals in the water must be established and residents must be informed promptly when the water is unsafe to drink.
Arrangements must then be made to provide safe drinking water until the problem is fixed.
It is also vitally important that the people treating the water know what they are doing and do not exceed the allowable levels of chemicals in it.
Lives depend on it.
HeraldLIVE
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