“The latest analyzes are rather reassuring”the bacteria “is in low presence in the water”, announces Gil Avérous, mayor of Châteauroux, in Indre, Saturday June 18 on franceinfo, concerning tap water, unfit for consumption for 25,000 inhabitants in the north of the city, after contamination by the bacterium Escherichia coli. Nevertheless, “for precautionary reasons”the authorities have “preferred to completely ban the consumption of tap water for at least two days, until the next tests”he explained, while the thermometer will reach 39 degrees in the shade in the department.
Gil Avérous recalled the dangers of this bacterium for infants and young children who are “the most fragile with regard to the E.coli bacterium”. In particular, it is forbidden to wash them with water from the shower. The elected official called the inhabitants “don’t take any risks”even though “the bacterium is in weak presence”. Even boiled, the water should not be consumed but it can, once cooled, be used to clean fruits and vegetables. For everything else, “Use bottled water, not tap water”insisted Gil Avérous.
The mayor of Chateauroux states that “125,000 bottles have been distributed” Friday. Distribution should continue this Saturday, via four distribution centers open to the general public. As the heat wave hits the country, “vulnerable people” were contacted and bottles of water were delivered directly to establishments receiving the elderly, he said.
Regarding the reasons for this contamination, Gil Avérous mentioned “a succession of anomalies”whose starting point is “a malfunction of the chlorine diffusion system in the water [qui] stopped at the beginning of the week, the alarm did not go off, it took some time to be detected and we ended up with untreated water distributed, which allowed this bacteria to proliferate” . According to the mayor, “We will have to find solutions so that this does not happen again”.
The results of a new analysis are expected on Sunday “no later than 6 p.m.”, announcement Gil Averous to find out if the ban on the use of tap water can be lifted. For now, “there has been no resurgence of people who have encountered digestive problems”, specified the elected official, who said to himself “rather optimistic about the future”.