Germs in drinking water - problems in Chemnitz continue

After contamination in the drinking water in Chemnitz, the supplier Eins has not yet given the all-clear. Specifically, it concerns a bacterium (Serratia fonticola) that was discovered during inspections at the beginning of the month. Flushing and disinfection of pipes has had an initial effect. However, samples are still not producing "a permanently stable, germ-free result", it said.

Risk groups must boil drinking water

People with severely impaired immune systems must therefore continue to boil their drinking water. According to the information provided, this affects people who have undergone stem cell and organ transplants, patients undergoing chemotherapy, people with congenital immunodeficiencies or leukemia, as well as newborns and premature babies. A company spokeswoman was unable to comment on how long the disruption will last when asked by dpa.

1,500-kilometre-long pipeline network

Eins says it operates a network of drinking water pipelines in Chemnitz that is around 1,500 kilometers long. This includes a number of elevated tanks and pumping stations. These supply around 250,000 people with drinking water. The annual consumption is around 10.8 million cubic meters.