WINDHOEK, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- Namibia's capital Windhoek Wednesday defended safety of its potable water, dismissing social media reports that the water is unfit for human consumption.
The reports surfaced as Namibia struggles to contain an outbreak of Hepatitis E and a reported cholera case. The two diseases are transmitted via the faecal-oral route, principally via contaminated water and food.
The City of Windhoek Municipality's Public Relations Officer, Lydia Amutenya, said in a statement that the reports are detrimental to the city's good reputation in water reuse and management, and risks causing panic among residents and tourists.
"The water of the City of Windhoek undergoes rigorous scientific testing and meets all international water standards," she said.
Amutenya assured residents as well as visitors that the city's water is not infected with disease-causing micro-organisms such as cholera.
Currently central areas in Namibia get its potable water from three main sources: the bulk supplier NamWater, reclaimed water and from an underground aquifer.