Nelson Mandela Bay water quality has worsened since October, municipal minutes show

From October 2021 to December 2021 there was a marked decline in water quality in the Nelson Mandela Bay metro, according to reports filed as part of the city council’s Public Health Committee agenda. 

The committee, made up of councillors, is one of the places where, according to Mayor Eugene Johnson’s spokesperson, Tango Lamani, the media and residents can go for water analysis results. But the committee has received results only from October to December 2021 and not for January and February 2022, when the metro was hit by a string of water crises involving discoloured water that resulted in an urgent alert to residents not to drink tap water. 

Up to today, the water test results on which the alert was based have not been made public even though they have been referred to by officials at a press conference.

At the same time, anecdotal evidence showed that a large number of people, and especially children, in the metro were suffering from gastrointestinal problems and diarrhoea. 

On Monday, the metro declared that the water was now safe to drink, but again refused to release updated water reports to prove the point. 

In a water quality report filed with the agenda of the Public Health Committee that sat on Wednesday, it is stated that, “A number of the chemical samples taken during the period from October 2021 to December 2021 did not meet the required specifications.”  

The tests are to ascertain whether the metro’s water is safe to drink and complies with South African National Standards. In October, compliance was at 98%, in November, 93.6% and in December, 85.3%. 

Water tests are usually carried out monthly, but in a public statement last week, Johnson said they would start testing several times a day — but none of these results has been made public. 

The Democratic Alliance (DA) has launched a petition demanding that Parliament intervene to address recent water quality issues and regular water outages in the municipality. 

The DA’s Eastern Cape provincial chairperson and spokesperson for police, MP Andrew Whitfield, will submit the petition to Parliament. 

Despite several requests, the municipality has refused to make water results for January to March public, saying residents or anybody interested can apply through the Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA). It also refused to make available the water test results on which it based its decision to lift the “boil before drinking” notice. 

An application by the DA in terms of PAIA was refused on technical grounds on Tuesday. 

“The municipality seems to be unable to provide a safe and sustainable water supply to its residents. Many areas across the metro have been suffering recurrent, extended water outages over the past few months. To add to the woes of the city, recent water quality testing results over a 14-day period showed the water to be unfit to drink. 

“The municipality was aware of the contaminated water for at least two weeks before they informed residents that it is not fit for human consumption,” said the DA’s spokesperson on water issues in the metro, councillor Dries van der Westhuyzen.

“On Friday, 25 February, the municipality declared that the metro’s water was once again safe, but until the results of water testing are made public, serious doubt remains.” 

Theuns de Bruin, from a purified water business, shows a clean water filter and a used one. (Photo: Deon Ferreira)