Four steps to ensure water is safe to drink

WATER is a vital resource.

- JO BARNES

Life on earth, as we know it, is impossible without access to safe drinking water. Concerns over declining quality and consistency of municipal drinking water supplied to consumers have been increasing over a long time.In South Africa, widespread problems with the availability and quality of drinking water across urban areas have been well documented and have often given rise to protests.

For example, there have been service delivery protests in the eThekwini municipality, an important port city, amid power and water outages as well as in Johannesburg, the country’s economic centre. There are many types of contaminants that can threaten the safety and quality of drinking water. The major water pollutants are disease-causing organisms (pathogens) and toxic chemicals.

Drinking water means more than the relatively small amount used for direct drinking. Water used for brushing teeth, washing food, washing hands (particularly when handling babies or young children) and washing tableware used while eating should receive priority when clean, safe water is scarce.