HOW TO SECURE SAFE DRINKING WATER

This guide by WWF South Africa provides instructions for securing safe drinking water for residents of Cape Town facing a 'Day Zero' water crisis. It details the risks associated with untreated alternative water sources, the necessity of testing and treatment, and methods for safe storage.

• Untreated water from rain water tanks, boreholes, and wellpoints should be assumed unsafe for drinking and cooking because they may contain invisible microbes such as bacteria, viruses, and protozoans (including Giardia and Cryptosporidium). The only definitive way to verify safety is through testing at a registered laboratory using the South African National Standards (SANS 241).
• While tap water is generally safe if it complies with national standards, there is a risk of soil water entering pipes through cracks during water outages. In such instances, basic treatment like boiling is advised. Bottled water is typically safe, especially if it carries the South African National Bottled Water Association (SANBWA) label, whereas spring water from sites like Newlands and Muizenberg is not regularly tested by authorities and is consumed at the user's own risk.
• Groundwater in Cape Town specifically may contain high levels of salt and iron, as well as microbial contamination from leaking wastewater systems or pit latrines. Rain water collected in tanks is often contaminated by roof debris, bird or rat droppings, and air pollution chemicals.
• Boiling water for at least three minutes is described as the simplest and safest method to ensure microbial safety. Other treatment options vary in effectiveness; for example, reverse osmosis and distillation are highly effective for both microbes and chemical contaminants, while activated carbon filters are not effective against microbes and should only be used as a final step to improve taste or remove odors.
• Safe storage requires using clean, sterile containers made of food-grade plastic (specifically those marked with numbers 1, 2, 4, and 5 to ensure they are BPA-free), glass, or stainless steel. Containers should be sealed with a closed lid and kept in a cool, dark place to prevent algal or microbial growth.

APA

WWF South Africa (2018). HOW TO SECURE SAFE DRINKING WATER. https://wwfafrica.awsassets.panda.org/downloads/WWFWaterFiles03-drinking_water.pdf

Chicago

WWF South Africa. HOW TO SECURE SAFE DRINKING WATER. 2018. https://wwfafrica.awsassets.panda.org/downloads/WWFWaterFiles03-drinking_water.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=WWF South Africa |title=HOW TO SECURE SAFE DRINKING WATER |date=31 January 2018 |url=https://wwfafrica.awsassets.panda.org/downloads/WWFWaterFiles03-drinking_water.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{wwfsouthafrica2018how, author = {{WWF South Africa}}, title = {{HOW TO SECURE SAFE DRINKING WATER}}, institution = {WWF South Africa}, year = {2018}, month = jan, url = {https://wwfafrica.awsassets.panda.org/downloads/WWFWaterFiles03-drinking_water.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }