The Nelson Mandela Bay municipal water supply may be unsafe for consumption, and city officials have warned residents to boil their water before drinking or cooking until further notice.

In a statement on Monday night, the municipality said its latest water quality test results revealed water quality had deteriorated and certain microbiological limits were exceeded.

“It is through this process that the municipality has come to detect failures in water compliance with SANS standards.

“This means that, for now, the water coming out of our distribution system could present a risk to human health if ingested,” it said.

The drop in water quality was attributed to low dam levels and fluctuating reservoir levels in recent weeks.

The municipality assured residents the matter was receiving urgent attention and an emergency meeting had been called with the water services and the environmental health departments to develop a turnaround strategy.

It said the public would be informed by Tuesday of plans in place to ensure the safety of the city’s water distribution system.

HeraldLIVE