Olwethu Xabanisa
The Buffalo City Municipality (BCM) says there is no longer a need for residents to boil tap water for consumption or cooking.
The Municipality says the decision to lift this precautionary measure follows an updated report that the water complies with regulatory requirements.
BCM raised concerns about the quality of drinking water deteriorating on Tuesday.
Spokesperson, Samkelo Ngwenya, says the amount of water treatment chemicals added during the treatment process has been increased to maximize the improvement in the appearance of tap water.
Ngwenya says the turbidity of the water has reduced and the water will continue to improve as clear water continues to blend with the slightly unclear water already in the network.
He says Chlorine has also been added to final treated water to remove pathogens and to protect the health of consumers.
Ngwenya says residents who continue to experience discolouration are advised to run the tap water until the colour is back to normal or boil it - but the water is safe to drink.
The Municipality has warned that certain areas will continue to experience water outages as it is still a challenge to produce adequate volumes of water.
"As the quality of the raw water entering the treatment plant remains very turbid and higher than normal, treatment sludge is still generated during the treatment process when the solids are removed from the water," Ngwenya added.
Residents are urged to still use water sparingly to reduce the demand as this will assist to improve reservoir levels and prevent ongoing water outages.
The Buffalo City Municipality says it will issue updates when necessary.
