Smelly, Yellow Water?

From the "Tell Us Something We Don't Know" file is the shocking revelation that Hong Kong's tap water looks and smells bad sometimes.

A fifth of Hong Kong families often experience impurities and discolouration in their tap water, according to a survey on drinking water quality.

While tap water taken directly from the water works may meet quality standards set by the World Health Organization, it's what happens to it in the delivery system that makes it suspect.

Most buildings are still using galvanised steel pipes without lining, which rust after a few years in service. Rust in turn causes the water to turn yellow. The Water Supplies Department's advice? Just run the tap for a few seconds and the colour will go away.

Oh, that fills me with confidence, how about you?

To compound matters, extra chlorine must be added to the water to protect against bacterial growth within the supply network, as water must first be pumped to rooftop tanks, whereafter it is delivered to individual flats.

How often the tanks are cleaned is debatable, and when they are cleaned, the water runs maroon from all the dislodged rust. Think of a rooftop tank as a giant petri dish, sitting under a blazing sun all day long.

I don't care how much chlorine is added, or how fast the water supply is turned over, something is bound to grow in that environment. The Water Supplies Department's advice? Just boil the water to get rid of the smell.

Too bad boiled water tastes terrible; too bad some organisms can survive boiling.

If that weren't bad enough, much of Hong Kong's water comes from the Dongjiang River in mainland China. The motherland is not noted for protecting her waterways; in late 2006, the United Nations Environment Program "declared the Yangtze and Pearl River estuaries dead zones".

Municipal water treatment facilities can't take out everything, and they can't prevent contamination after the water leaves the works, which means one thing if you live in Hong Kong: if you don't own a filter, then you are the filter.

Griping about your crappy tap water is a waste of time; if you want to be certain you're drinking clean water, invest in a purifier.

Your kidneys will thank you.

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