The recent spike in COVID-19 cases in KZN has been linked to the widespread looting last month.
Scientists at the Durban University of Technology have concluded that the unrest was a super spreader.
The Institute for Water and Wastewater Technology has been monitoring and analysing water at the Central Waste Water Treatment Plant in eThekwini weekly.
Its director, Professor Faizal Bux says the plant covers around 61 suburbs in the metro, including those hit by the rioting.
Bux says before the looting, the average number of new coronavirus cases per day in a 7-day period was 1 366 for KZN and 449 for the eThekwini Municipality.
He says clinical data from the end of July reported that daily infections had nearly doubled.
Meanwhile, the Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal now account for more than 50 % of the country’s new daily Covid-19 infections.
The national death toll now stands at 75 201.
