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Mamila, one of the neighborhoods of Jerusalem where residents were advised Wednesday to boil their water. Photo by Emil Salman

At least 150,000 residents of several neighborhoods in southeastern Jerusalem are being told to boil their tap water before drinking it because of suspected contamination, the Health Ministry announced Wednesday.

Arab as well as Jewish and mixed areas, including Abu Tor, Sur Baher, Silwan, Ras al-Amud, Baka, Talpiyot, Mamila and the Old City, have been warned about possible contamination.

"The Gihon [water] corporation and the Health Ministry are carrying out inspections in order to ascertain the safety of the water," the Health Ministry said in a statement.

Residents of the affected areas are being told to boil their water for two minutes until fourther notice before drinking it, brushing their teeth with it or using it for cooking.

There have been serious disruptions in the water supply in East Jerusalem for more than a month. Many homes have had their water cut off, forcing residents to rely on bottled water and drastically reduce their water usage, Maariv reported.

Residents petitioned the High Court of Justice in late March to order the state to take care of the problem.

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