On the morning of July 16th, in multiple residential areas in Yuhang District, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, the tap water suddenly turned yellow and had a pungent smell. Some residents experienced allergic reactions on their skin, while others had stomach issues. Yuhang Water Company issued an apology and promised to reduce water fees, but did not disclose the cause of the water pollution, which led to dissatisfaction among residents.
According to a netizen from Liangzhu who posted online, “Around 5:30 pm on July 16th, there was a problem with the water in Liangzhu. The water company did not promptly inform the public. When cooking rice, I couldn’t figure out the strange smell. I thought my chicken legs had gone bad and quickly threw them away. However, even after washing the dishes, there was still a strange smell on my hands throughout the night, making me feel nauseous. The key point is that we ate the rice we cooked, which is disgusting to think about.”
The netizen also posted a picture of a yellowed towel, saying, “This is what the water looks like after running it for a minute with a disposable face towel wrapped around the faucet at around 11 pm. It turned yellow, which is terrifying and irresponsible.”
Other netizens also expressed their concerns, with one saying, “I live in Liangzhu. The water company knew about this in advance but didn’t inform us. After cooking with the smelly water, I initially felt a bit uncomfortable in the afternoon. When I showered at night, the smell got stronger with each wash. Even brushing my teeth made me want to vomit, and my face had an allergic reaction before realizing the water issue,”
Another resident shared, “By 9 am that day, they knew about it but didn’t report it in an attempt to handle it quietly. They never expected the water to be contaminated to such an extent that residents found out. A colleague mentioned that they were still flushing the sewage pipes. The problem was with the scheduling system, which mistakenly diverted the sewage valve to the water supply network.”
This incident gained attention online. On the evening of July 16th, Yuhang Environmental Water Group issued a notification stating that they had switched to other water sources for supply. By 1:30 pm, the water quality at the source had returned to normal, and by 4:30 pm, the main water distribution network had also resumed normal operation, with residual “stored water” in peripheral branches. Once the stored water had been discharged properly, it could be used.
However, Ms. Zhang, who lives near the Future Science and Technology City in Hangzhou, stated on July 17th to Jiupai News, “Although the smell of tap water has decreased slightly, it still feels very dirty, and there is a strong disinfectant odor. Most homeowners have purchased and stored about a week’s worth of water themselves, planning to avoid using tap water for a while.”
Ms. Li, who resides near Liangzhu Cultural Village, shared that after noticing the strange smell in tap water, she immediately went to the supermarket to buy water, spending nearly 150 yuan. “However, due to the hot weather and high water consumption at home, the water I bought last night was only enough for washing and cooking, not for bathing. I will need to buy more later.”
Ms. Li mentioned that even though Yuhang Water Company claimed the water could be used after discharging the “stored water” in the pipes, she found the tap water still smelly and pungent when she turned on the faucet around midnight. While the tap water no longer had a strange smell this morning, she still hesitated to use it. This incident left her traumatized, unable to sleep well last night and finally falling asleep around 4 am.
On July 17th, Yuhang Water Company issued another notification, stating that water quality in Renhe and Liangzhu streets had returned to normal. Users could resume normal usage after discharging the “stored water.” To compensate for user losses, the company would deduct 5 tons of water fees for each household in July. However, in both notifications, Yuhang Water Company did not disclose the cause of water pollution.
Netizens criticized the company, saying, “Yuhang Water, the amount you’re deducting from the water fees isn’t even enough to buy a bucket of water, and my water purifier filters are now useless. What’s the purpose of deducting these 5 tons of water fees? Hangzhou is a big city, and you need to clarify why the water was contaminated.” Another comment mentioned, “Our residential area’s water tank hasn’t been cleaned yet. It’s been three days, and there’s no response from the water company. We have no one to complain to.”
Yet another netizen shared, “Starting from the afternoon of July 16th, my whole family has had stomach problems and suffered for two days. It’s unbearable. It’s all because of using contaminated water.”
In response, an employee of Renhe Water Purification Plant stated that relevant government departments were investigating the issue, but the specific cause was still unclear. When asked whether this incident would impact human health, the employee said there were no reports at the moment. The water quality test reports would be available in 2 to 3 working days for reference.
The 96390 customer service hotline staff of Yuhang Water Company explained that the water source comes from Qiandao Lake and that fluctuations in raw water led to the abnormal odor. They admitted that abnormal water entered the pipeline network but assured that the company promptly switched water sources and is investigating the cause of the incident.