A boil water notice will remain in force for several eastern suburbs of Christchurch after additional testing confirmed the presence of bacteria in the water supply, according to Christchurch City Council.
According to a report by 1News, the advisory, first issued on Saturday, affects the Rawhiti water supply zone, which includes New Brighton, Burwood, Wainoni, Aranui and Southshore. Residents received an emergency mobile alert shortly before 1 pm on Saturday advising them of a public health risk and directing them to boil all drinking water.
In an update on Sunday around 12.30 pm, the council said testing results from across the wider Rawhiti area were “looking good”. However, a second positive result from the same sampling point means restrictions cannot yet be lifted.
“The notice will then be lifted once we can provide confidence to Taumata Arowai that the water is safe to drink. Part of this assessment will be ensuring we also have at least three days of good results,” the council said, as quoted by 1News.
To support affected households, the council will reopen the community drinking water station at 345 Keyes Rd community drinking water station, where residents can collect chlorine-free water that has been confirmed safe.
“Our focus remains on ensuring everyone is aware of the health risk. Staff and contractors are continuing to investigate possible causes and are undertaking further sampling across the zone,” it said, 1News has quoted.
People in the notice area have been told to boil all water used for consumption and hygiene purposes.
“Boil all water for drinking, making up formula, juices and ice, washing fruits and vegetables, other cooking needs, and brushing teeth. All water (including filtered) needs to be continuously boiled for at least 1 minute,” as quoted by 1News.
The alert also cautioned, “‘Instant’ boil water systems do not boil water sufficiently”.
“It is OK to use jugs with an automatic cut-off switch as long as they are full. Do not hold the switch down to increase boiling time,” 1News has quoted.
Census figures show about 30,000 residents live within the affected Rawhiti supply zone, and the notice will stay in place until further testing confirms the water is safe.
ISSUE
Leave a Comment