Joburg water is safe to drink, tests suggest

From Cosmo City to Linksfield, tap water across the City of Johannesburg is safe to drink, an independent study by Outa has found.

WaterCAN, an offshoot of the Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse, recently tested the water quality at 12 public points around South Africa’s largest city.

Its finding? Despite ageing infrastructure, Joburg’s water quality is good and its supply reservoirs are holding up.

It is important to note that the water tests proved the water was clean on the date of consumption

The tests were conducted in Cosmo City, Chartwell, Diepsloot, Morningside, Linbro Park, Lyndhurst, Linksfield, Greenside, Linden, Bromhof and Ruimsig, and analysed for contaminants such as E.coli, coliform, nitrates, nitrites, phosphates and metals. It also checked pH (measuring acidity or alkalinity) and chlorine levels.

Julius Kleynhans, executive manager for social innovation at WaterCAN, said: “We received several complaints and concerns about the quality of drinking water and people getting sick in Johannesburg, and as WaterCAN, we felt we needed to test the water and see the results for ourselves.”

The city has more than 128 reservoirs and water towers, and WaterCAN aims to test the water quality in every supply area in time.

Test results

“It is important to note that the water tests proved the water was clean on the date of consumption. We encourage local community organisations such as ratepayers’ organisations to participate in this process and maintain monthly water testing to ensure safe access to clean drinking water for their residents,” said Kleynhans.