In a recent incident at the Poly Jasmine Mansion in Yudong Street, Yahua District, Shijiazhuang City, Hebei, more than a hundred homeowners were infected with the Norovirus due to contaminated tap water. On the evening of July 3rd, a large group of homeowners gathered in the community to demand answers from the neighborhood committee and property management regarding the situation and to seek compensation for those affected.
Late on the night of July 3rd, over a hundred homeowners assembled within the Poly Jasmine Mansion community. They surrounded officials from the neighborhood committee and property management, engaging in discussions that lasted until around 4 a.m. on July 4th. However, the homeowners’ demands were still unresolved.
Homeowner Li Yong (pseudonym) shared the details of the incident with a reporter. On June 26th, one homeowner inquired in a group chat about whether anyone had experienced symptoms like vomiting, diarrhea, and fever recently. Through a registration process, it was discovered that it was a case of a mass infection, with initial registrations reaching 94 households and over a hundred people infected, especially affecting the elderly and children.
“We initially thought it was just an issue in our own homes, but it turned out to be widespread. When we went to the clinic under our community, we found that our neighbors were also receiving IV drips. Many homeowners in our group chat shared videos and photos, and many children had already been taken to children’s hospitals for treatment.”
Li Yong stated that the hospital reported the cases to the higher authorities, ultimately diagnosing Norovirus infection (a result acknowledged by the neighborhood committee). An elderly person collapsed while walking in the community due to dehydration from diarrhea, and some female homeowners experienced symptoms like red and swollen eyes and itchy skin after washing their faces with tap water.
All homeowners began to suspect that the drinking water quality had been compromised. Their investigation revealed that during road repairs at the entrance of the community, both the drinking water and sewage pipes had been damaged by the construction team. Li Yong mentioned that sewage backflow occurred, leading to water contamination. Homeowners placed wet wipes at the water outlets, and the water flowing out appeared yellow on the wipes with visible debris.
Following the incident, homeowners expected the property management and Yudong Street neighborhood committee to take active measures to improve water quality. However, after a week had passed without any progress, they were only directly informed on July 3rd that the water quality had reached standards for consumption. This triggered dissatisfaction among homeowners, leading to collective action for their rights.
“We initially didn’t plan to take collective action. We just wanted the neighborhood committee or property management to give us a straightforward answer: How did this happen? What was the handling process? Who is responsible? How will the medical expenses for affected homeowners be addressed? But we got nothing. They just informed us that the water is now safe to drink,” said Li Yong. Despite the release of water quality inspection reports, the neighborhood committee did not publicly disclose them, leaving homeowners afraid to consume tap water.
Li Yong revealed that after a night of collective action by homeowners, local government officials allowed them to view the water quality inspection reports at the neighborhood committee office but prohibited them from taking photos. On the 4th, homeowner representatives continued negotiations with government officials at the neighborhood committee office, yet there was no substantial progress made.
Li Yong expressed that homeowners’ basic demands included improving water quality, disclosing the inspection reports, compensating for medical expenses, and providing households using water purifiers with free replacement filters.
According to reports, the community consists of 2,000 homeowners. When reporters contacted the Yudong Street neighborhood committee office, no one answered the phone.