Danwei reports that Beijing's tap water is now drinkable - sort of. Though the city stepped up and is five years ahead of the requirements to meet national drinking water standards, there is some question on whether it's REALLY drinkable.
The problem, as might be guessed, is that though the water is up to the tight standards when it leaves the water processing plant, after it winds its way through a vast network of old piping, it has been contaminated again.
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naima
1 year 2 weeks 2 days 30 min agoDrinkable Water in Beijing? Ya
Drinkable Water in Beijing? Ya right! That’s like saying the air in Beijing is completely safe and breathable. I have lived in Shanghai, China for about 4 years and I dread my business trips to Beijing. The last time I drank tap water in China (accidentally) was when my aiyi put the bottle which contained tap water for the plants into the refrigerator and I accidentally drank it. I was in bed for about 4 days throwing up and with saver diarrhea and hallucinations. This is no joke and I am not exadurating and this episode took place in Shanghai, Puxi. Now I live in Shanghai, Pudong and the water is much cleaner and smells like chorine so there is progress on the other side of the river, but I still would never drink it. Sorry guys there are many many good things about China and i call China my home, but the food quality, water quality, and sanitation is very bad. Shanghai is much more advanced than the rest of the country, but still is far behind any developed country. On a positive note it is getting better and better and the decision makers are aware of the problems and are making corrective measures. Yesterday i was pulled over while i was driving my car for beeping the horn! See what i mean, the rules are changing every day and this only leads to progression as as society.
Ryan
1 year 2 weeks 23 hours 46 min agoLike the article says - it's clean
Like the article says - it's clean when it leaves the plant.
acidelic
1 year 2 weeks 20 hours 21 min agoOne thing always concerned me when
One thing always concerned me when I was on vacation in China is that restaurants would serve you ice water with your meal. I understand that the water was already boiled, but what about the water that was used to make the ice? Did somebody boil it before making ice? Does freezing the water kill bacteria as well as boiling? Do restaurants simply make ice using water straight from the tap?
I took the safest route I could find. Only drink hot tea or drinks that came out of a bottle that I opened (beer, soda, etc.)
My first night in a Beijing hotel gave me a good scare. Nobody told me that you cannot drink the water and I had just finished brushing my teeth with tap water. I guess I got lucky seeing as I didn't get sick, but I was always leery after that. Always cautious about getting even one drop of water in my mouth when taking a shower.
Living in China what do you do different when dealing with water other than boiling it for drinking? What about washing dishes and cleaning with it?
Ryan
1 year 1 week 6 days 17 hours agoIt's not as toxic as some would
It's not as toxic as some would have you think. I've brushed my teeth with it for 2.5 years and not had any rashes form on the underside of my tongue. I dare say most Chinese have used it their whole lives without much problem.
Just because water is grungy doesn't mean it's septic. You're likely just brushing/washing with a bit extra iron/rust in it.
That's in the cities at least. In the more rural areas, where water filtration is low - I'd go with using bottled water to brush. I doubt you'd get hep or anything from getting a splash in ya from the shower.