Cape Town - The Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality in the Eastern Cape has warned its water could pose a risk to health if ingested.
In a statement released, it said the latest tests had shown a deterioration in its water quality.
“The current drought facing the City, with the resultant low dam levels and fluctuating reservoir levels, is one of the major contributing factors.
“Through vigorous routine testing and sampling of water in the distribution system for the past week, the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality has learnt that certain microbiological limits were exceeded.
“It is through this process that the municipality has come to detect failures in water compliance with the South African National Standard (SANS) standards,” the municipality said.
It said the results came against earlier results that certified the water within the metro was safe to drink.
The municipality said this means that for now, water coming from its distribution system could present a risk to human health if ingested.
“The municipality urges all consumers to boil their water before drinking or cooking until further notice.”
Residents have also been advised that the municipality is treating this matter with the utmost urgency and seriousness.
It said an urgent meeting had been called between the Water Services and Environmental Health department to develop a turnaround plan.
The municipality said residents should look forward to an update regarding the matter on Wednesday, February 23, where plans have been outlined and put in place to ensure the water coming from the metro is safe to drink.