In a town in southern Lower Saxony, the tap water is contaminated. The administration and fire department are informing people how to behave.

People in the southern Lower Saxony town of Sudershausen are currently being advised to avoid drinking tap water because of high arsenic levels. Due to a technical defect, the town’s so-called arsenic elimination system has broken down, an employee of the Nörten-Hardenberg municipality announced.

The plant is actually supposed to filter the naturally occurring, toxic semi-metal out of the water. In March, 499 people were living in the town north of Göttingen. The NDR had previously reported.

The administration and the district fire department warned against drinking tap water or using it for other purposes. It is only safe to use it for flushing toilets. From Thursday afternoon onwards, residents should flush all their pipes every day. The fire department set up a drinking water distribution point at a sports field.

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