Juba mayor challenges water plant worker to drink water to prove its safety

The Mayor of Juba City Council has ordered a water plant worker to drink the treated water after staff insisted it was safe during an inspection of the facility, which was shut down over water safety concerns.

Mayor Christopher Sarefino Wani visited Abraham Clean Drinking yesterday, a private water plant that the city council ordered closed in October over concerns that it was supplying water without proper treatment.

According to video footage shared by the mayor’s office, the council team collected water samples from the facility for laboratory testing.

During the inspection, Mayor Wani questioned workers about the safety of the water and asked one of them to drink it.

“Is this drinking water, bring a cup let me see you drinking it, is it good. I am going to take a sample to the Bureau of standards, do you make testing, do you have a laboratory for testing. We are going to shut this down then on Monday you come to the Juba city council,” he threatened.

The mayor also questioned whether the facility had a laboratory to conduct regular water quality tests before supplying the water to consumers.

The samples are reportedly undergoing laboratory analysis following claims by the company’s chief executive officer that the water is safe for human consumption.

The inspection follows concerns that some water supplied to residents through tankers may not be properly treated, potentially exposing consumers to health risks.