Water line break causes confusion in Muurame as residents voice frustrations

A significant water line break over the weekend in Muurame has caused confusion among residents. Many have expressed their frustration on local Facebook groups, questioning why the municipality did not send out information regarding the boiling water advisory via text message.

Muurame has a service in place for emergencies that allows residents to receive alerts via SMS. However, planning engineer Ilkka Lautamäki explained that not all residents received the notifications due to a changeover in the service provider and technical systems in May. Consequently, phone numbers did not automatically transfer to the new system and had to be reported separately.

The municipality informed residents about the changes to the SMS service in the spring, urging them to update their contact information. It seems that some users did not follow through. Approximately 3,500 messages were sent out regarding the water break, but the municipality lacks precise data on how many people missed the alert. Lautamäki estimates the number could be in the tens.

Following the waterline incident on Saturday, residents have been required to boil drinking water throughout almost the entire municipality, excluding Kinkomaa. On Monday, people gathered clean water from a distribution point set up by the municipality.

Throughout the weekend, frustrated residents contacted the municipality directly, with street manager Jouko Kauppinen receiving about 100 calls. Residents were unhappy and needed clarification on the situation, with many only learning about it later by chance.

Environmental health authorities have collected water samples, with initial results expected by Wednesday. The water utility will report these findings on its website.

In light of the situation, Riina Liikanen, a water affairs manager, criticized the breakdown in communication but emphasized that multiple channels are used during disruptions. She noted the need for a nationwide system that could broadcast alerts to all Finnish citizens during emergencies. This call for improvement was echoed by the Ethical Council for Communications, which recommended the development of better communication strategies for critical infrastructure disruptions in Finland.