In Hangzhou’s Yuhang District, Zhejiang Province, the issue of smelly tap water continues to escalate, prompting local residents to rush to supermarkets to purchase bottled water for cooking. Official notifications have failed to alleviate their concerns. Some residents have stated that they have stored enough water to last a week and plan to refrain from using tap water for the foreseeable future.
On July 16, homeowners in Liangzhu Street and Renhe Street in Yuhang District of Hangzhou posted online about a strong odor coming from their tap water, with descriptions ranging from a smell of dead rats to odors resembling sewage backflow and septic tanks, as well as hints of burning plastic or pesticides sprayed in green areas.
Around 9 p.m. that evening, Hangzhou Yuhang Water Supply Holding Group Co., Ltd. (“Yuhang Water Supply”) issued a situation report stating that abnormal odors were detected in the tap water in parts of Renhe Street and Liangzhu Street on July 16. The company switched to alternative water sources and by 4:30 p.m., the main network had returned to normal, though some residual water remained in peripheral pipes.
On July 17, Yuhang Water Supply issued another notification, announcing that to compensate for users’ losses, the company would provide a reduction of 5 tons of water fees per household for the month of July. However, this compensation did not quell the fears and anger of the affected residents.
According to Jiupai News, on the 17th, a woman named Zhang living near the Future Technology City in Hangzhou expressed her experience, “I went home and headed straight to the bathroom to take a shower. When I turned on the shower, I immediately smelled a strong odor, like a mix of sewage backflow and septic tank. I couldn’t escape in time.” After being showered, her whole body reeked of the smell, and even her cat mimicked burying feces towards her.
“Now the smell of tap water has lessened somewhat, but it still feels dirty, with a strong disinfectant scent. Most homeowners have purchased and stored enough water for about a week, planning not to use tap water for a while,” she said.
On the 17th, a woman named Li living near Liangzhu Cultural Village recalled that the tap water appeared slightly gray and emitted odors similar to dead rats or snails. Upon discovering the strange smell in the tap water, she immediately went to the supermarket to buy water. “At that time, everyone was scrambling to buy water, and big bottles were sold out. Only a few small bottles were left. The supermarket owner drove back from the city with a car full of water. As soon as he arrived, everyone rushed to grab it, and it was quickly gone again.”
Li mentioned that she bought 12 buckets of 5 liters and 4 packs of 12 bottles of 550ml water on the evening of the 16th, spending nearly 150 yuan. She said that due to the hot weather and high water consumption at home, the purchased water was only sufficient for washing and cooking, not for bathing, so she needed to buy more later.
She shared that although Yuhang Water Supply claimed that water could be used once the “residual water” in the pipes was discharged back to normal, she found that even after letting the water sit for a long time on the night of the 16th, when she turned on the tap around midnight, the tap water was still smelly and strong. She couldn’t shower that day, only wiping herself with a wet towel.
Li mentioned that this incident left a shadow over her. She was restless on the night of the 16th and only managed to fall asleep around 4 am.
Mr. Chen, living near the Baiyang Subway Station, mentioned that he cooked rice with tap water the previous night and didn’t notice any strange smell at the time. However, when washing dishes after dinner, he discovered a strong odor, similar to burning plastic or pesticides sprayed in green areas.
“At first, I thought there was a gas leak in a neighbor’s home or the property management was carrying out pest control in the green areas. But then I went to the bathroom and found that even flushing the toilet water had a chemical smell. When I turned on the tap again in the early morning, the water still had a strong odor. I washed my hands with tap water on the night of the 16th, and the smell lingered until now,” he said.
He also mentioned that many homeowners in the area were purchasing bottled water, and he also bought some mineral water for washing up. However, on the 17th, he suffered from stomach discomfort twice and wasn’t sure if it was related to the tap water.
There are various speculations circulating online regarding the source of the strange odor in the tap water. Some netizens suspect that wastewater from sewage treatment plants was discharged into the water supply pipes, while others speculate that the odor originated from improper operations at the Shuangpu landfill, leading to sewage mixing into the municipal water supply pipes.
This incident has sparked a huge uproar on the internet. In response to the official notifications, numerous comments from netizens were filled with sarcasm and dissatisfaction:
“During the Fukushima nuclear radiation incident, Yasuhiko Yarimizu drank water at a press conference to prove it was safe. Hopefully, in this incident, relevant individuals will come out and publicly drink a glass of yellow water to speak with facts, which would be more convincing than anything else.”
Many netizens believe that this comment directly calls on officials to “lead by example” and dispel people’s doubts through actions.
Another netizen humorously remarked, “Someone just reminded me. Saying, ‘the food processing factories in Yuhang area haven’t shut down.’ The implication is that they are worried whether the bad water will affect food safety, prompting even more extensive concerns.”
Another netizen sarcastically commented, “Beverage and alcohol products produced in Hangzhou are sent out in large trucks to the whole country, so everyone has a chance!” Expanding concerns about food safety nationwide, this comment was full of ridicule.
Furthermore, some netizens quipped, “The water company has cleaned most of it, but it intentionally kept a portion to preserve the original taste of the water,” questioning the thoroughness and sincerity of the official rectification measures.
Residents believe that this event not only exposes the vulnerability of the local urban water supply system but also leaves a profound sense of distrust towards the quality of public services and the transparency of government information in the minds of the people. Until the truth is fully revealed, this “bad water” turmoil is likely to continue to escalate.