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Municipality to tackle improving city’s water quality

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Nelson Mandela Bay Executive Mayor, Retief Odendaal, has announced that the city will be improving the monitoring of potable water, as part of the new coalition of good governance’s commitment to ensuring the safety of the city’s drinking water.

“We have seen a marked improvement in the quality of the drinking water in Nelson Mandela Bay over the past month, and the water is fully compliant and safe for human consumption,” said Mayor Odendaal.

Mayor Odendaal said that all of the 154 samples taken to monitor acute microbial compliance in September were compliant, and of the 153 samples taken for chemical compliance, all samples were compliant.

“In the past, there have been issues regarding the water quality, with alarming levels of E.coli detected, and instead of immediately alerting the public to the possible danger, the previous government withheld the test reports,” said Mayor Odendaal.

“As a coalition government, we have vowed to ensure an honest and transparent government that is committed to ensuring the well-being of the people of this city,” he said.

Mayor Odendaal said while the city’s water had passed all the tests for acute health and operational compliance, there were still concerns relating to some tests failing chronic health chemical compliance tests.

“These tests measure for chemicals that could pose health risks to residents if exposed over a long period. Of the 153 tests done, 113 tests were compliant, but 40 samples did not meet the necessary standards,” he said.

“While there is no immediate risk to our residents, this is an area of concern for the municipality, and I will be engaging with the MMC and his directorate to find ways to improve on these results,“ said Mayor Odendaal.

Mayoral Committee (MMC) for Public Health, Cllr Thsonono Buyeye, confirmed that the city’s water is safe and SANS 241 complaint.

The South African National Standard (SANS) 241 is a drinking water specification that states the minimum requirements for potable water to be considered safe for human consumption. Nelson Mandela Bay’s potable water is well within those parameters. MMC Buyeye said the Metro has been conducting a weekly water quality monitoring programme to detect water quality non-compliance as early as possible.

Download the Water Quality Monitoring and Community Health Risk Analysis 1 July 2021 to date.

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Alan Straton

Chief Cook, Bottle Washer and Broom Mechanic at MyPE
Passionate about Port Elizabeth and definitely NOT packing for Perth. Alan's ethos is epitomised in the words of Nelson Mandela; "I have fought against white domination and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the idea of a democratic and free society. If need be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die." See more articles by Alan.