Laboratory tests have found no harmful bacteria in the Transkei stream that mysteriously turned milky, the Eastern Cape health department said on Tuesday.

Spokesperson Sizwe Kupelo said chemical tests would now be conducted in an attempt to determine the cause.

The stream at Manzana village near Engcobo turned a whitish colour last week.

A woman was treated in hospital after the water numbed her hands when she washed with it.

Kupelo said the department's warning to locals not to use the water for any purpose still stood.

He said though there was piped water in the village, the supply was erratic, and villagers also used the stream for drinking and washing.

Tanker water was being supplied to the village.

Sapa