# "Don't drink the tap water": rumour empties shelves in Ravnik

RAVNIK, Slovenia — Three days after repairs at the town's water-treatment plant, pharmacies and shops in Ravnik, a town of 9,000 people near the Croatian border, have run out of bottled water. The trigger was a rumour that the tap water is contaminated. The municipal utility has published laboratory results showing the water is safe — but many residents say they simply don't believe them.

## Background

On 2 October the utility **Komunala Ravnik** replaced a filter unit and a section of the main pipe at the treatment plant. For about six hours some households had cloudy water, a normal effect after pipe works. That evening the anonymous Telegram channel **"Ravnik brez cenzure"** (7,400 members) posted that "chlorine was dumped in to hide bacteria". Two TikTok videos showing brown water in a bathtub — it is unclear where they were filmed — collected 600,000 views, and the entertainment Instagram account **@stajerski_trac** (210,000 followers) shared them with the caption "Ravnik, don't drink!".

## Who is involved / positions

- **Komunala Ravnik**, director **Igor Novak**: lab tests from an accredited laboratory on 3 and 4 October show no bacteria and chlorine within limits. "The water is safe. We drink it ourselves."
- **Mayor Darja Klemenčič**: first stayed silent, then held a press conference and drank a glass of tap water on camera; commenters called it "staged".
- **Nika Zupan**, a local lifestyle influencer (45,000 followers), says she trusts "her own eyes more than a PDF" and posts daily stories about her bottled-water stock.
- **Dr. Rok Bizjak**, GP at the Ravnik Health Centre: no increase in stomach illnesses; he worries that elderly patients are drinking too little.
- **Regional newspaper Obmejni glas** checked the TikTok videos and found that one was filmed two years ago in another country.
- **Croatian commuters**, about 1,100 people who cross the border daily to work in Ravnik's factories, are bringing water from home and asking employers for bottled water.
- **Supermarket chain Zelenko** raised the price of a 6-pack of water from €2.10 to €3.40, saying "supplier costs" — which caused new anger.

## Key facts and numbers

- 9,000 residents; 6 hours of cloudy water after repairs.
- 2 lab tests, both within all limits.
- 600,000 TikTok views; 7,400 Telegram members.
- Bottled water price: €2.10 → €3.40.

## What happens next

The utility will publish real-time water data online. The mayor has invited the national public-health institute to take independent samples. The Telegram channel promises "new evidence" this weekend.

*This material is fictional and was created as an example for a simulation.*