Australian council: Drinking water safe following floods

A council in Australia has assured local residents that drinking water is safe following a spate of flooding that saw the region declared a disaster zone.

According to the Carpentaria Shire Council, drinking water in the Karumba community is safe to use following extensive flooding, reported ABC News.

This claim comes after local pharmacist Elaine MacCormack said people in the area had become sick and were showing symptoms of dysentery.

Acting Mayor Joyce Zahner has said there is no evidence so far to suggest that the floods have brought about the onset of dysentery, or that the drinking water is unsafe.

She added that it is monitored weekly and remains to be of a good quality.

This is not the first natural disaster that Australia has seen of late. Some of the most severe bushfires ever experienced in the country raged through the state of Victoria this month, leaving homes and buildings devastated and claiming the lives of over 200 people.