JOHANNESBURG More than 500 individuals in South Africa have been affected by a gastrointestinal sickness that includes stomach cramps and diarrhea, which authorities are blaming on poor water quality in two different locations in the country.
Authorities warned residents east of the capital, Pretoria, to cease drinking tap water this week, after 408 people, including children, became unwell and were treated at several health institutions. The city and its suburbs have long had problems with the cleanliness of the region’s water, as have other cities in the country, and it remains a divisive political issue. City officials were providing water through emergency tankers to homes on Wednesday, while the charity Gift of the Givers supplied the neighbourhood with bottled water.
Most cases occurred in children under 4 years of age. Officials from health and city agencies said the people became unwell after drinking water tainted at a water treatment plant that supplies numerous communities east of Pretoria.
Authorities determined the water at the factory had not been chlorinated for almost three weeks and was unfit for human consumption. Municipal officials stated the municipality had difficulty getting chlorine from its normal supplier.
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