In most urban areas of South Africa, tap water is safe to drink, but raw water sources, like streams, rivers, and dams, have high levels of E.Coli and coliform bacteria, posing
serious health risks.
Last month, a week of nationwide water testing by more than 100 citizen science
activists for the Water Community Action Network, or WaterCAN—a project of the
Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse found that tap water is safe to drink in most urban
areas.
These tests were carried out in response to an assessment report from the Blue Drop
and Green Zone, which was made public for the first time in nine years and revealed
that 52% of water supply systems are at medium to high risk.
The findings were presented by Dr Ferrial Adam, manager of WaterCAN, on Radio
Islam International.