St Helena : CONTAMINATED WATER – ST HELENA
Submitted by Saint Helena Herald (Public Relations Information Office) 17.03.2012 (Article Archived on 31.03.2012)

SHG Environmental Health today confirmed that ‘the Boil-Only’/Sterilise instruction relating to domestic water consumption across St Helena REMAINS IN PLACE

CONTAMINATED WATER – ST HELENA

SHG Environmental Health today confirmed that ‘the Boil-Only’/Sterilise instruction relating to domestic water consumption across St Helena REMAINS IN PLACE. This applies to the whole Island until further notice and means that water in homes and businesses should be boiled or sterilised before being consumed or used domestically. This remains a precautionary measure.

This reflects re-sampling carried out on Friday 9 March across the Island, where the results produced today continue to show raised levels of E-coli bacteria. Further sampling and testing across the whole Island will now take place every day until bacterial levels are reduced. People resident on St Helena should continue to boil or sterilise their water until given the ‘All Clear’. No cases of human infection have so far been reported.

Work is continuing to deal with and trace the problem. Chlorine levels, within international guidelines, are being raised and flushing of the network in specific areas is taking place. Testing at Water Treatment Plants indicates that these water sources are clean, so we know that the problem originates somewhere in the network/domestic point of delivery.

As an alternative to boiling, free sterilisation tablets (and our factsheet) are available from the General Hospital reception, the Police HQ front desk in Jamestown and various shops. Each sachet of 8 tablets comes with an information slip on how to use. Each tablet will sterilise 25 litres of water, so tablets can be cut up for treating smaller amounts of water. Care should be taken when cutting tablets – a good tip is to cut tablets while they are still in the foil packaging.

A further update will be communicated later this week and the factsheet is attached to this release, giving further advice on drinking, cooking and other domestic use such as bathing, washing up, brushing of teeth etc.

Saint Helena Government

12^th March 2012

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