The Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality takes concerns about drinking water quality at St Albans Correctional Facility seriously and recognises the importance of ensuring that water consumed by inmates, correctional officials and other personnel is safe and fit for human consumption.
Access to safe drinking water is fundamental to public health and human dignity. The Municipality understands the anxiety that concerns about water quality can cause, particularly in an institutional environment where many people depend on the same water supply. These concerns must be addressed through proper investigation, reliable water quality testing and cooperation between the relevant authorities.
The Municipality operates an integrated water supply system serving Nelson Mandela Bay through an extensive network of distribution pipelines, pump stations and reservoirs. Water quality is monitored through a legislated sampling and testing programme intended to ensure compliance with applicable national drinking water quality standards.
This programme is guided by the Water Services Act, 1997, the Regulations Relating to Compulsory National Standards and Measures to Conserve Water, and the South African National Standard for Drinking Water, SANS 241. These frameworks provide for the assessment of the microbiological, chemical and physical quality of drinking water.
According to the Municipality’s routine water quality monitoring records, no incidents of compromised water quality have been reported in St Albans. However, the absence of a reported incident through routine municipal monitoring should not be interpreted as conclusive proof of the water quality at every point of consumption within the correctional facility.
The specific concerns raised therefore warrant appropriate consideration against the available monitoring records and any additional test results that may be obtained.
It is important to clarify the water supply arrangements at St Albans Correctional Facility. Although the facility receives water supplied through the municipal system, the water is conveyed to the facility through a private pipeline operated and maintained by the Department of Public Works. The water is subsequently stored in tanks at the facility, which are also maintained by the Department of Public Works.
This distinction is important because water quality can be affected by conditions within private pipelines, storage infrastructure and plumbing systems after water leaves the municipal distribution network. The Municipality must therefore distinguish between the quality of water supplied through its network and the quality of water at the point where it is ultimately consumed.
To establish the facts, the Municipality will consider the concerns raised alongside its available water quality monitoring records and engage the relevant authorities where further information or investigation is required. The Department of Public Works, as the party responsible for maintaining the private pipeline and storage tanks serving the facility, should arrange for appropriate sampling and testing of the water within the facility, including the storage tanks and points of consumption, through a suitably qualified and accredited laboratory. The Municipality can provide relevant information from its routine monitoring programme to support the assessment of the municipal supply.
The findings from appropriate testing will be important in determining whether any water quality concern exists, where it may originate and what corrective action may be necessary. Should test results identify a potential health risk, the relevant authorities must act promptly to implement appropriate corrective measures and communicate the necessary precautions to those affected, in accordance with applicable requirements.
The Municipality remains committed to providing drinking water that meets the required national standards and to responding responsibly to concerns raised by residents, institutions and other water consumers. It will not dismiss concerns simply because they have not been reflected in routine monitoring records. Equally, conclusions about the safety or cause of a suspected water quality problem must be based on reliable evidence and appropriate testing. Executive Mayor, Cllr Babalwa Lobishe calls for cooperation between all relevant authorities to ensure that the concerns at St Albans Correctional Facility are assessed properly and that any necessary interventions are informed by the facts.
Protecting public health is a shared Public responsibility, and the priority must remain the safety and wellbeing of everyone who depends on this water supply.
