Public health alert in Bonmatí: tap water contains cyanuric acid
The town council has installed a water tanker truck to supply the affected residents.
BarcelonaHealth authorities have asked residents of Bonmatí (Selva) not to drink tap water, as they have detected the presence of cyanuric acid. Public Health professionals recommend avoiding its consumption because it is a chemical component often used as a chlorine stabilizer in swimming pools. "As a precaution, it cannot be used for cooking or drinking until the analysis results are available," they warn.
The mayor of Sant Julià del Llor and Bonmatí, Elena Ribas, explained to ACN that they have taken water samples and hired an approved company to perform specific analyses, but it will take about two weeks to obtain the results. In parallel, Public Health is also analyzing samples to determine the level of cyanuric acid in the water and determine when it will be completely safe to consume tap water again. The mayor regrets that the results will not be available for at least two weeks: "Until we know what happened, we won't be at peace," she stated.
The incident began last Wednesday, when yellowish water was detected in three streets in Bonmatí. The City Council contacted the Ministry of Health and the Catalan Water Agency (ACA) to determine its source, as initial checks revealed no problems with the well that supplies the affected area. Although they later found cyanuric acid.
Finally, Public Health officials detected the presence of cyanuric acid in the water and restricted its use while this situation persists. Once they detected this compound in the water, the City Council called the residents to a meeting on Friday afternoon to inform them of the Public Health recommendations, which only affect the residents of Bonmatí, since those in Sant Julià del Llor can consume water from the public network normally.
One of the residents who attended the meeting was Joan, who explains to ACN that some citizens were "a little agitated." "We don't understand it, we don't know if it was a strange story or if it was the rains," he says. The mayor herself acknowledges that at first there was a "bit of psychosis" among the residents. However, there are also residents who are taking the situation calmly, like Antonio. "I saw that they said you couldn't drink or cook with water, but it's easy for us; we live next door and can easily come and fill the jugs," she explains. Others are more vigilant. "Above all, we have to make sure the children don't drink from the tap, but we have no choice but to wait," explains Mercè.
Tanker truck
Meanwhile, the council has installed a water tanker truck to supply drinking water to all affected areas, especially those on streets where the water was found to be cloudy. The tanker truck is serviced daily, in the morning and afternoon, in front of the Town Hall building, and residents can go there to fill bottles and jugs.
Starting Tuesday, this service will be available from 7:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. In addition, the City Council has set up a service to deliver water to homes of people living alone, those with reduced mobility, and those in vulnerable situations.
