Flood aftermath: Riihimäki residents boil tap water, swimmers cautioned in Helsinki area

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Residents of the southern Finnish city of Riihimäki have been urged to boil their tap water before drinking it or using it for the preparation of food. Health officials say that the city’s water supply was contaminated by a small amount e-coli bacteria during the recent flooding.
      Pirkko Sukula of the city’s municipal health department said that the call to boil water was a precaution, and that there has been no surge in stomach disorders.
      The local water utility has already added extra chlorine to the water supply to kill the bacteria, but residents are urged to keep boiling their drinking water at least until Sunday, by which time the chlorine will have reached all parts of the municipal water system.
     
Health officials in the Helsinki region have warned residents not to swim in the Vantaa River or in a number of sea areas near its outlet. The warning comes after large amounts of inadequately-treated sewage were discharged into the river during the recent flooding.
      A number of beaches in the eastern part of the city have been closed, and swimmers are advised to use their discretion in other areas as well.
      "If the water looks bad, it is best not to go swimming. It is good to keep in mind that the situation can change all the time", says Helsinki health inspector Päivi Rantti.
      In addition to the hazard of intestinal bacteria, the floods have washed  large amounts of nutrients into the Gulf of Finland, which could lead to a surge in growth of algae.
     
Continued flooding was reported in Tampere on Tuesday. Emergency services were called to pump water out of a number of cellars, and a railway underpass was flooded and closed to cars for about an hour.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Floods lead to sewage discharges and bans on swimming (3.8.2004)
  Late July downpours bring flooding to Southern Finland (2.8.2004)
  Experts fear bad blue-green algae situation in Gulf of Finland this summer (10.5.2004)

Helsingin Sanomat