As many as 600,000 people living in Oslo and the nearby township of Ski, just south of the capital, were urged to boil their water from Tuesday, but now authorities say tap water is safe.
Water and sewage authorities told Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK) Tuesday that disinfection procedures at the major Oset water treatment facility at Skullerud in Oslo were disrupted during technical maintenance work conducted on Monday.
Alarms meant to alert workers to the problem failed to go off, meaning bacteria could have entered the water system from 10am Monday until 8:30am Tuesday, when the problem was discovered.
No contamination was confirmed, but authorities urged all residents of Oslo and Ski to boil water for drinking and even tooth-brushing through Thursday as a precaution. The township of Ski buys much of its water from the Oset plant.
By Views and News staff
