Burst water main affects 40,000 Geneva residents

Residents in nine Geneva communes: Thônex, Choulex, Corsier, Vandoeuvres, Collonge-Bellerive, Hermance, Anières, Puplinge and Cologny have been affected by a burst pipe, Keystone-SDA

Around 40,000 residents in Geneva are without clean tap water after a burst pipe caused disruption over the weekend.

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Roughly 40,000 residents in nine Geneva communes: Thônex, Choulex, Corsier, Vandoeuvres, Collonge-Bellerive, Hermance, Anières, Puplinge and Cologny have been affected by the burst pipe, located at Quai Gustave Ador. Canton Geneva has a population of around 518,000.

The incident on Saturday evening caused “a depression in the network, resulting in external elements being sucked into the water system”, announced Services industriels de Genève (SIG) on Sunday morning.

Bacteria in the air could have contaminated the water, explained Frédéric Schulz, head of drinking water at SIG.

He reported that a large quantity of water had been released, and that the first measure had been to close the valves. A purge of the network was then carried out, he noted.

Bacteriological analyses are underway but will take time, explained cantonal chemist Patrick Egger. He indicated that the first results would be available on Monday morning, but that the full results would not be known for another three days.

Boiling the water

In the meantime, affected residents have been asked not to use water “at all” if it shows an abnormal appearance or discoloration. If the water is transparent, it should be boiled before consumption.

If the water is not boiled, it must not be used for drinking, feeding animals, washing food or brushing teeth. Water can, however, be used for showering and washing.

Health risks include vomiting, diarrhea and gastrointestinal disorders. If symptoms persist, you should consult your doctor.

No particular influx of sick people was reported on Sunday afternoon, either at Geneva University Hospitals (HUG) or at other hospital sites in the canton.

HUG spokesman Nicolas de Saussure said that the hospital, as well as the emergency services, had received numerous calls from people seeking information.

The spokesman added that the four HUG hospital sites affected – Bellerive, Curabilis, Trois-Chêne and Belle-Idée – had sufficient mineral water supplies for their patients and staff.

SIG has indicated that an emergency plan is being deployed to bring water to the various communes. This will involve the supply of water via cisterns, but also via a distribution system (taps called “goats”) on hydrants. Bottled water will also be distributed to the population via the civil protection service.

Finally, it should be noted that the news quickly caused a rush at the service stations that opened on Sunday morning, as many residents of the localities concerned sought to stock up on water.

Translated from French by DeepL/sb

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