Durban - The eThekwini Municipality is working with Umgeni Water to conducts tests on tap-water quality in a bid to give the city’s residents assurance that the supply is not contaminated and is safe for human consumption.
The latest move comes after one of the city’s councillors, Visvin Reddy of African Democratic Change, fell ill, was hospitalised and then tested positive for an E coli infection.
Head of Water and Sanitation at eThekwini Ednick Msweli said yesterday that the latest test results conducted by the city had shown the water was safe.
He said they were now working with Umgeni Water to get independent confirmation that the water was not polluted.
“Our laboratory is accredited and we test our water every day, and we have not picked up anything.
“If we were to pick up something, we would be the first to communicate that,” said Msweli, adding that the results he reviewed had been clear.
“But, for the sake of credibility, we are working with Umgeni Water to get an independent body to test the water.
“These tests were done on Saturday, and the results normally take about 18 hours (to come through),” Msweli said.
He said he was aware of Reddy’s statement on the issue, and said that while he had not received his E coli test officially, he had no reason to doubt its authenticity.
However, he pointed out that municipal water was not the only source of such an infection.
“It is important to also note that a person cannot get sick because there is small content of E coli in the water.
“The content would have to be very high for one to get sick.
“At the beach, for instance, the levels have to be above 500,” he added.
Speaking about his illness, Reddy said: “Regarding a sudden infection I picked up that caused severe diarrhoea, nausea and stomach cramps, I was admitted to Westville Hospital. The doctor has just confirmed that the cause of my illness is enteropathogenic E coli, which was found after tests were conducted.
“This means that I picked this up from water.
“I did not go to the beach, so could not have picked it up there. I have asked the municipality to conduct tests on its tap water and produce the results for the public to see. They refuse.
“I’m now left with no alternative but to engage the services of a private, independent laboratory that specialises in water testing to conduct tests on random samples of tap water.
“I will ensure that these are done, covering all eThekwini water treatment plants, and I will make the results public,” he said.
Reddy said if the water was all clear, then he would “welcome the news and … safely encourage all to continue drinking tap water”.
However, if it was not, he would “launch a court application holding the mayor and city manager liable for damages and negligence”.
Shami Harichunder, of Umgeni Water, said the water utility was working with eThekwini Metro on a joint sampling exercise at five points in Durban, adding that once all the results were available, they would be sent to eThekwini Metro.