STILL BOIL! Reservoirs Empty as City Awaits Test Results!

BCMM WATER CRISIS UPDATE: WAIT CONTINUES AMID DRY RESERVOIRS! 📰

BOIL NOTICE STILL IN EFFECT! FIRST RESULTS DUE THIS MORNING!

Buffalo City – The ordeal continues for residents of East London and Mdantsane as the precautionary Boil Water Notice remains in force this morning, Thursday, 04 December 2025.

BCMM has issued an update confirming the alert is STILL EFFECTIVE as the city anxiously awaits the results of critical water quality tests.

 24-HOUR WAIT FOR SAFETY CONFIRMATION

Water quality testing takes a mandatory 24 hours to complete, meaning the first batch of results—which will confirm if the water meets the national SANS 241 requirements—are expected to be released THIS MORNING (Thursday).

Until those results are officially announced and confirm the water is safe, all consumers MUST continue to boil their drinking water.

Crucial Reminder: The Boil Water Notice is a PRECAUTIONARY MEASURE to protect residents from potential pathogens introduced during the power failure at the Umzonyana Water Treatment Works.

RESERVOIRS RUNNING ON EMPTY

The update also highlights a growing secondary crisis: the system has been left depleted following the cable theft and subsequent power outage yesterday.

“Due to the electricity outage that was experienced, some of our reservoirs are still empty,” the BCMM statement read.

This means that even if the water quality is confirmed safe this morning, many areas will still experience low pressure or no water at all as the system slowly recovers and reservoirs refill.

Residents are urged to continue the following:

• BOIL YOUR WATER: Do not consume tap water without bringing it to a rolling boil for one minute.

• CONSERVE WATER: Use the available supply sparingly to help reservoirs recover faster.

BCMM officials are working urgently to stabilise the supply system and will provide immediate notification once the precautionary boil water notice is lifted.