Pretoria - The City of Johannesburg's utility, Johannesburg Water, has announced that the tap water in Diepsloot is now safe to drink.
Diepsloot's drinking water system was contaminated by sewage when a contractor upgrading infrastructure accidentally damaged water pipes. Residents were warned not to use the water for drinking and cooking and only for sanitation purposes. Only residents living in Extension 2 were able to drink their tap water as the pipeline in that area was not affected.
According to Johannesburg Water, the quality of the water in the entire Diepsloot area has been corrected and meets the South African National Standard (SANS) 241 and its quality is on par with the rest of Johannesburg.
"We instituted rigorous corrective steps and testing, which took us a much longer time than anticipated and we wish to apologise for the inconvenience caused to the residents," said Johannesburg Water spokesperson Millicent Kabwe.
"Our greatest appreciation goes to the majority of the residents, dedicated staff members and all other stakeholders who were patient and supportive throughout this period," she added.
