Urgent warning issued to Aussies over concern suburban drinking water is contaminated
More than 1,000 residents living southeast of Melbourne have been urged to boil their water amid fears it could make them severely ill. Source: 7News
More than a thousand Aussies have been told to boil their tap water before drinking after a mysterious drop in pressure has sparked contamination fears. Residents living in the suburbs of Frankston and Frankston South, southeast of Melbourne, were first warned of the potential hazard on Monday afternoon.
Authorities have urged those living in the area to boil their water before drinking, preparing and cooking food and brushing their teeth over concerns dirt and bacteria could infiltrate the pipe network that serves the suburbs.
Parents should also avoid bathing their children for the time being or do so using a sponge as consuming the contaminated water could lead to diarrhoea, cramps, headaches or other gastro-like symptoms, authorities cautioned overnight.
"The tap water within the boundaries listed is not safe to drink without boiling first," it said.
Currently it is unclear exactly what has caused the issue.
"When there’s low pressure in the network then that can allow dirty water or sentiment to enter into it," Lara Olsen, the managing director of South East Water, told 7News.
Water rationing is underway with some 1,150 affected residents allowed six bottles of water per household, the network reported.
Consuming the contaminated water (far left) could lead to diarrhoea, cramps, headaches and other gastro-like symptoms. Source: 7News/Vic Emergency
Warning to remain in place as authorities sample water
The urgent safety warning will remain in place until authorities have given the pipe network the all-clear. The next update is expected at 12pm on Tuesday.
"We're doing water sampling at the moment and flushing the network," Olsen told 7News. "We'll need to wait for those lab results and make sure that we’ve got that information before we can lift the boil water advisory."
South East Water says affected locals will be compensated.
Vulnerable residents such as infants, children, pregnant women, the elderly and immuno-compromised people are particularly at risk. Anyone who has ingested the water is encouraged to visit their doctor as soon as possible.
This article originally appeared on Yahoo News Australia at https://au.news.yahoo.com/urgent-warning-issued-to-aussies-over-concern-suburban-drinking-water-is-contaminated-223536389.html
