Following the discovery of foul sewage odor in the tap water in Yuhang District of Hangzhou City, Zhejiang Province, which triggered a rush of residents to find alternative water sources, over the past three days, netizens in various parts of China have been reporting on social media about the deteriorating quality of tap water. Affected regions include Guangdong, Chongqing, Hubei, Anhui, Guizhou, Guangxi, and more. People have reported tap water appearing yellow or black, with a smell of oil, strange substances, and some even describing it as “like diesel” or “resembling coffee.” Some comments pointed out, “While there’s outcry against Japan’s nuclear wastewater, nobody dares to speak up about the tap water issues at home.”
Despite official announcements from Hangzhou insisting that the water quality “meets standards,” public discontent remains high. On the evening of July 21st, videos circulated showing residents bringing their own containers, like buckets and water dispensers, to various water sources in the outskirts after work, lining up to fetch water. Some netizens questioned, “Who would believe their announcements? The tap water smells like sewage the moment you turn it on.”
A graduate of the Department of Biological Sciences at Zhejiang University, who goes by the alias of Zhang Qi, expressed doubts during an interview with a reporter from The Epoch Times. Zhang Qi criticized the official explanation for the odd smell in tap water as “forced,” trying to shift blame onto natural phenomena. He said, “Officials claim that the odor is produced by sulfides from anaerobic degradation of algae, but algae blooms almost every year. Why is there a sewage odor this year? Water treatment plants should have a comprehensive system to deal with algae pollution. Why did it suddenly fail? Why the secrecy?”
He further added, “In theory, tap water undergoes dozens of tests before leaving the plant, with standards even stricter than mineral water or distilled water. But in reality, when there’s an issue with tap water, the officials not only fail to respond effectively but choose to conceal it, similar to the lead contamination incident in Gansu.”
In addition to Hangzhou, within the past three days, residents of Nalong Town in Yangjiang City, Guangdong complained about severe pollution in a tributary of Nalong River, where even dogs refuse to drink the water. In Xudong Village, Xiantang Town, Dongyuan County, Heyuan City, Guangdong, tap water appeared yellow. A blogger posted videos continuously from July 19th to 21st, calling the hotline of the Central Inspection Team of the Communist Party of China but received no response.
Similar situations have been observed in Peixing Town, Duanjiang County, Chongqing. A video from July 19th showed black liquid gushing out of a resident’s tap for several minutes. The resident stated that the foul-smelling water has been troubling the villagers for years, with no one addressing the issue.
Furthermore, in Yindian Town, Sui County, Hubei; Bozhou, Anhui; various locations in Fujian; Guizhou; as well as Binyang, Guangxi, reports have emerged of tap water turning yellow, cloudy, and emitting a strong odor. Residents describe it as “like diesel,” “not even fit for drain water,” and “completely undrinkable,” demanding explanations from water companies and local government officials.
Independent environmental researcher Huang Tong pointed out the widespread issue of inadequate isolation zones in water sources in rural and urban areas of China. During the rainy season, animal waste, industrial wastewater, and even domestic waste may infiltrate water bodies due to low standards in water purification processes, leading to pollution directly entering households.
Huang Tong emphasized that such incidents are not isolated but a concentrated outbreak of long-standing systematic problems. He mentioned, “Many water companies are financially supported by local funds. Faced with problems of aging equipment, rising costs of chemicals, and long-term disrepair of pipelines, local finances are already stretched, with reports of employees being unpaid. How can they ensure clean water for the people?”
He further highlighted the negligence of local officials in water plant management, turning a blind eye to industrial discharges, even ignoring video reports and complaints from netizens. These issues go beyond simple pipeline damages and represent a systemic failure in management.
Currently, on Chinese domestic social media platforms like Douyin, WeChat, and Xiaohongshu, related videos are being censored or taken down, limiting public opinion space. More netizens are expressing their dissatisfaction and concerns on overseas platforms like X and Telegram. Some comments read, “Everyone gets a share of that ‘tap-spresso.'” Others sarcastically remark, “Why isn’t the government worried? Because they drink special water, not from the same source as us.”