The City of Knysna reassured residents that the water was safe to drink.
Sharon Ceretro/Gallo Image
- The municipality says Knysna's water is safe to drink.
- Last year, a body was discovered in a reservoir in a small coastal town.
- The city says the water has been disinfected and tested and is safe for human consumption.
The City of Knysna reassured residents that the water had been disinfected and treated and was safe to drink.
This comes after a body was discovered in a reservoir in the area in December.
“The city's water is safe for human consumption,” said Grant McDonald, the city's acting director of infrastructure services.
“Despite recent water scarcity issues in some reservoirs, the water is regularly tested by an independent South African National Accreditation System accreditation laboratory and currently meets the requirements of the SANS 241 standard for drinking water. “We can assure residents that we are meeting the requirements,” he said.
News24 previously reported that the holiday town is suffering from a severe service delivery crisis, with trash piling up, taps running dry and sewage spilling into estuaries.
Read | Reservoir drained in water-starved Knysna after body found, municipality told to clean up its act
The state government intervened, arranging water and garbage removal trucks from neighboring municipalities to help Knysna through the Christmas season.
Meanwhile, a large portion of the town's drinking water grid system had to be cleaned after the discovery of a dead body.
McDonald said the city's reservoirs are disinfected and treated weekly to ensure the water meets the required standards.
He said: “There were several pollution incidents in early December and in response we took the necessary steps to disinfect and treat the water. The water has been tested, purified and is safe for human consumption. It has been declared that there is.”
“While municipalities face challenges with water supply, it is important to note that we take our responsibility to deliver clean water to our residents very seriously. It's not a problem.”
ALSO READ | High Court rejects DA's application to challenge Knysna political appointees
Knysna City Administrator Onbari Sebola previously told News24 that the city is “actively engaging” with the provincial government on “various concerns related to service delivery and financial issues.”
The state government is preparing to present the draft diagnostic evaluation report to local governments.
