MikeT

I keep hearing mixed info on water safety in Johannesburg. Some people say not to drink the water and follow usual concerns about water in Africa, while others say SA has water as clean as in the U.S.

Any advice?

divine54

in joburg hotels the tap water is perfectly safe to drink despite they mostly provide bottled water complimentary.
wouldn't bet on township accommodations an shebeens.

jackssid2

Hi Mike

Read these few facts and decide for yourself.

"Johannesburg - South Africa is on the brink of a water contamination crisis, potentially as bad as the electricity fiasco of the past few weeks, Business Times reported on Sunday.
In an alarming report, the National Nuclear Regulator (NNR) has confirmed evidence of contaminated crops and water, and has acted to protect people and livestock, the newspaper said.
The report - in the possession of the newspaper - is the latest of several recent indicators that government is no longer able to effectively monitor and manage its vast infrastructure of dams, pipes, pumps and treatment facilities.
Among the alarming findings contained in a series of reports are the following:
• 43% of dams managed by the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry (DWAF) have safety problems and require urgent repair.
• An estimated R180bn is necessary to replace old water service infrastructure countrywide, including in the major metro areas.
• Waste water from mining operations appears to have seeped into the country's groundwater system - a process known as acid mine drainage - raising concerns about future water supply.
• Vegetables and fish collected in the Wonderfonteinspruit Catchment Area west of Johannesburg have been contaminated with radioactive uranium -and the National Nuclear Regulator is testing milk and meat from cows grazing in the area.
• Water in the Wonderfonteinspruit area has also been contaminated by radioactive material, as well as by heavy metals and salts, the Business Times said.
Despite the NNR's latest report - a follow-up to an earlier detailed report of contamination in the area - cattle farming continues and environmental activists are concerned that radioactive meat may be entering the food cycle.
According to the NNR report, contaminated sites are now restricted zones. The report concluded: "The study - has confirmed the presence of radioactive contamination in the Wonderfonteinspruit Catchment Area.
Regulatory actions were taken to ensure that people and animals were protected.
The regulator did not reply to Business Times' questions before deadline on Friday. "

Here is the link

http://www.news24.com/News24/South_A...263658,00.html



divine54 - you like to hang out at township shebeens....

sniktawk

jackssid2

A wonderful PS

jackssid2

Thanks Ken

Maybe the kind Americans can also provde S.A. with some water fit to drink?

ArthurSA

Water from area in urban areas is perfectly safe to drink. And has come out ahead of some designer bottle labels in blind tastings!

But the only water I drink from streams, dams, etc. is when I'm high up in the mountains when I know what's upstream. And I think I'd follow that policy in any country.

jackssid2

I do not see how in a blind tasting tap water can come out ahead of bottled water. The people doing the tastings are probably employed by the waterboard or something. The chlorine taste in tap water is so strong you can even smell it before sipping. Maybe the water tasted was the Nestle brand? This company was caught filling their bottles with tap water...

ArthurSA

The tastings to which I'm referring (there have been more than one, albeit over many years) were done by a major S.A. newspaper. The Star, as I recall.

Although it is admittedly some years ago, so is not necessarily relevant to water quality today, at one time the WHO listed 12 countries where it was safe to drink tap water. S.A. was one of those.

This "stat" is regularly quoted on S.A. websites. Or was, when I searched four years ago. (After a website debate such as this one!) I tried to get substantiation, so I contacted the Rand Water Board and received quite a detailed reply from a "Scientific Services Specialist". This included the comment; "The fact that we are one of twelve countries where you can drink water from the tap originates from WHO reports published a few years ago and I will try to source a copy of one of them for your records." But I never got that and I never followed it up.

Admittedly it was also noted that the WHO stat was "not even valid for the whole of SA but only for the major metropolitan areas and bigger towns."

Another stat that has been quoted is that S.A. has the third-best quality in the World. The Rand Water Board comment to that was; "the statement . . . cannot be substantiated as water quality changes over time and only the compliance to a quality standard will have any meaning. Thus only compliance at a certain point in time is comparable."

Having said all that, I think the question relates not to taste (which varies from Metropolitan area to area) but to safety. My anecdote about tastings was a jocular aside, even though it was the truth. What's important is that tap water in major urban areas is safe to drink. Or, "as clean as in the U.S.".

divine54

@ jacks

i don't know what you personally mean when you state "hang out".
having lunch at a shebeen doens't mean tu us "hang out"
but generally speaking we find it much more worthwhile to meet with locals than with tourists for obvious reasons.

coming back to the water question in cities in sa:
i don't know WHY you put such a bad label on sa tap water? does this make sound you more "adventourus"? you can turn it back and forth but SA city water is perfectly safe to drink.

i know that american tourists have a problem with water which doesn't come out of an american tap and it might be based on the fact that american tourists are extremly vulnurable to any kind of BUG (due to their habit to swallow lots of precautions, vitamins and vaccines against anything) which causes them montezuma's revenge wherever they travel - even in frankfurt/germany they get it by drinking appelwoi.
but this body reaction should not cause to speak the SA tap water down in quality!

div

ekscrunchy

I had to read that last post twice to make sure I read it correctly.

Divine:

Do tell us how you have come to the information that American tourists are especially vulnerable to bugs and are likely to be laid low with intestinal disorders "wherever they travel." Nothing like sweeping generalizations based on...based on....actually I am not sure what they are based on...

Just curious, as I have read many of your posts, Divine, and you paint yourself as quite the authority on the region: How many times have you been to Southern Africa?

Reading your posts, I wonder if you have posted in the past under another name..

cary999

"Reading your posts, I wonder if you have posted in the past under another name.."

divine54 was pippa13

No big deal about changing names, sure it is done a lot. But for myself, I will not respond to anything by this poster because of their blatant disregard for simple sentence word capitalization and punctuation. (So-so grammar and misspelled words I can forgive for none native English users).

regards - tom

realoc

http://www.nrdc.org/water/drinking/uscities.asp

Not all major urban areas are the same. Notice San Francisco, Atlanta, etc.

We choose bottled water while traveling and montazuma's revenge has never been a problem.

ekscrunchy

Thank you for clarifying, Tom.

skibumette

If you are changing locations frequently, simply the change in mineral or chemical content of the water can upset your gastrointestinal tract. (Fatigue and/or excitement can also make your system more sensitive too.) So even in Western metropolitan areas, bottled water can mimimize the impact....I'll even try to stick to one brand if I can. Who wants to waste any precious travel time being ill?!

divine54

posting on fodors especially to a question asks for answers.

any traveller provides information on her/his experiences.

i simply informed on my experiences which are not based on only one trip to sa but many.

any poster can judge for himself whether it's appropriate for him or not. taking that advise or leave it.

to insinuate a poster`s information isn't true is not only an offence but evil.

hijacking a thread simply for any revenge or gaining self-importance is not just unfair in view to the OP but also extremly rude!

in case a poster ignores another simply because of self-introduced rules etc. is perfectly fine with me. if that poster is critical with the use of capitals etc. doesn't bother me at all. especially when that very same poster uses abbreviations which are neither in any dictionary nor officially recognised.
every troll his/her own measures.
so i stick to mine

i don't take this seriously as i guess you are still in the process of grewing into adulthood and therefore don't know how to behave in public appropriately.

may i suggest you leave me alone, don't waste your time posting offences (it's waste of time as i don't care what you think AT ALL!).

i won't stop posting my experiences. whether you like it or not.

in view to the poster who says i claim being an authority on the regeion is just insane! that poster's impression might be based on lack of self-convidence.

have a wonderful evening getting upset about my post

div

ekscrunchy

And that tirade is addressed to who?

divine54

to WHOM ;-)

ekscrunchy

Thanks for answering my questions. And for the grammar lesson!

ekscrunchy

Another question, which will undoubtedly remain unanswered:

Since you are so very well traveled on several continents, have you ever graced this board with a trip report or detailed account of your experiences?

Many thanks, yet again.

divine54

eks
is that mandatory