Outa: E.coli found in Hammanskraal drinking water
The Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (Outa) claims a strain of the E.coli bacteria has been found in the water in the north of Tshwane.
The battle to secure clean water in Hammanskraal has taken a turn for the worse after independent tests found traces of e-coli and nitrates in the community's drinking water.
“Drinking the water can result in stomach cramps, diarrhoea, nausea and vomiting which is an acute health risk,” says the organisation’s Julius Kleynhans.
Several probes into the quality of the drinking water have been established, including an investigation by the South African Human Rights Commission over the possible violation of basic human rights.
Kleynhans says Tshwane officials are aware of their results but “lambasted our finding seeing that we took it at a specific tap where people are drinking water”.
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He believes the water is clearly unfit for consumption.
Outa has demanded that the city provide residents with an alternative supply of drinking water by Saturday.
“There was a lot of intervention before the national elections, but we have seen that that has plummeted.”
The City of Tshwane couldn’t be reached for comment at the time of publication.