03/12/2025
ISIBHENGEZO ESINGXAMILEYO KUBAHLALI BASEMONTI. Wabiliseni amanzi phambi kokuwasela ukunqanda urhudo, incilikithi, intloko ebuhlungu nezinye izifo ezingakho.
URGENT WATER QUALITY ALERT: BOIL NOTICE
03 December 2025 - 04 December 2025
08H30
The Umzonyana water treatment works supplies drinking water to the East London and Mdantsane areas.
The treatment works is currently without power due to cable theft.
The Electricity Department is repairing the damage and it is estimated power will be returned by 12h00 on Wednesday 3 December 2025.
The water treatment process requires energy (power supply) to adequately treat raw water and make it suitable for human consumption and compliant with SANS 241 requirements for treated drinking water.
To safeguard your health and safety, residents are requested to boil water before consumption.
BOIL YOUR WATER BEFORE USING
Bring tap water to a rolling boil, boil for one minute, and cool before using. Or use bottled water certified for sale from reputable retailers. Boiled or bottled water should be used for drinking, making ice, washing dishes, brushing teeth, and preparing food until further notice.
This Boil Water Notice applies to houses in East London and Mdantsane.
Harmful microbes in drinking water can cause diarrhea, cramps, nausea, headaches, or other symptoms and may pose a special health risk for infants, some elderly, and people with severely compromised immune systems. But these symptoms are not just caused by microbes in drinking water. If you experience any of these symptoms and they persist, you should seek medical advice.
What happened?
Power is required to enable water treatment filters to operate correctly and for treated water to be disinfected so that it is safe for human consumption. The filters are currently blocked and cannot be backwashed. Chlorination is also significantly compromised. This means the visual quality of the water will be compromised and the water may contain pathogens above the acceptable level for drinking water.
What is being done?
The Electricity Department is currently repairing the damaged cables to restore power to the treatment plant. The water testing laboratory is collecting water samples through the East London and Mdantsane areas to test compliance of the water with SANS 241 requirements and to identify public health risks. The bacterial water tests take 24 hours before a result is obtained.
As a precaution, Consumers in East London and Mdantsane are requested to boil drinking water provided via the reticulation system and water tankers until water quality monitoring results have confirmed the water quality has returned to its intended condition. Residents are requested to continue boiling water before use until notified that the precautionary boil water notice is no longer applicable.
For more information, please contact: the Call Centre on 0861113017 or water centres in East London on 043 7059234 / 9235.
BCMM wishes to assure its residents that it is treating this matter with the utmost urgency and seriousness.