Cape Town - After resolving the water and sanitation issue on the Atlantic Seaboard, the City says residents living in other parts of the city can rest assured that the water coming out of their taps is not contaminated with any harmful agents.
Mayco Member for Water and Waste Xanthea Limberg said there was no need for City residents to be concerned about the quality of their water.
“There is no need for residents in Cape Town to be concerned about the quality of their water. The ’Do Not Consume Water Advisory’ was only issued as a precaution after taste/odour complaints were received. Investigations, however, found no health-related non-compliance in the system.”
According to the City, no other water-quality complaints had been received in other areas, and the city’s water still exceeded the SANS 241 targets for excellent drinking water, consistently reporting a pass rate of more than 99%.
“Routine water sampling is done, which serves to alert the City of non-compliance or issues, so the City can react quickly, where necessary. Where complaints are received, they are logged and investigated,” said Limberg.
Last week, when news about the water situation in several communities across the Atlantic Seaboard began to spread, residents from other communities were left feeling uneasy, wondering whether the situation would spread to other areas.
However, the City says after conducting comprehensive tests and lifting the precautionary water advisory it issued to residents living in the Atlantic Seaboard, the situation had been handled.
In a statement, the City said the situation might have arisen due to trace amounts of 2-Methylisoborneol, an irritant compound with no health impact that is produced by certain types of algae, which are at times present in the city’s dams.