Drinking boiled tap water instead of buying bottled water year-round

In Beijing, the first-tier water price works out to 0.005 yuan per liter. Bottled water, calculated at 1 yuan for every 500 milliliters, costs 2 yuan per liter — that’s a 400-fold difference. Tap water must meet mandatory national standards, so simply boiling it before drinking is sufficient. However, if the water source is contaminated or the water becomes foul-smelling and cloudy, a few extra minutes of boiling won’t fix the problem; you should stop drinking it and report the issue to authorities.

You only need to purchase a kettle. Boiling water takes a bit of time, plus there are minimal gas or electricity costs.

The first-tier water price in Beijing is 5 yuan per cubic meter, which equals 0.005 yuan per liter. Bottled water at 1 yuan per 500 milliliters costs 2 yuan per liter — 400 times more expensive than tap water. Tap water must comply with the mandatory national standard GB 5749-2022, which was issued on March 15, 2022, and took effect on April 1, 2023. The National Disease Control and Prevention Administration oversees this standard (Chinese water prices in 2015 vs. the 2022 standard).

The controversy stems from the fact that “compliance” is assessed only for water leaving treatment plants and at pipe endpoints. When the water source or distribution network is compromised, these standards may be temporarily unmet. On July 16, 2025, the raw water entering the Renhe Water Plant in Yuhang, Hangzhou, had an unusual odor, causing tap water in parts of Renhe and Liangzhu to smell foul. Officials attributed this to algae decomposing under low-oxygen conditions, producing sulfur-containing compounds. After switching to a different water source, tests showed no traces of total coliforms or E. coli in the treated water, and all other parameters met GB 5749-2022 requirements. Seven officials were held accountable, all July water bills were waived, and free water filters were distributed. Yet, fecal coliform counts at this same water source had been rising for months prior to the incident: at the Yongsheng intake point on the Tiaoxi River, counts rose from 10 per liter in April to 7,300 per liter in May and 16,000 per liter in June — exceeding the GB 3838 Class III surface water limit of 10,000 per liter. Counts at Siling Reservoir and Mantoushan Reservoir also surpassed this threshold that month at 28,000 and 24,000 per liter respectively. Boiling water only kills microorganisms; it cannot remove foul odors or dissolved chemicals. If water smells odd or appears yellow or cloudy, stop drinking it, report it to your water provider and via 12345, and temporarily switch to bottled water — but don’t expect a few extra minutes of boiling to resolve the issue. These incidents are localized and occasional; local compensation was provided, so they do not justify buying bottled water year-round. Online claims about “incorrectly connected sewage pipes” are fabrications based on fake police reports; the poster has since been criminally detained (see Section 9). The 1 yuan per 500 milliliter price for bottled water is a hypothetical figure for calculation purposes; you should use actual local prices instead. Residents in older neighborhoods with substandard secondary water supply systems may install filters or buy bottled water only in such cases. Water prices vary by region, so the Beijing figure is merely illustrative.

北京市发展和改革委员会. 居民用水价格表. https://fgw.beijing.gov.cn/bmcx/djcx/jzldj/202003/t20200331_1752796.htm；国家市场监督管理总局 国家标准全文公开系统. GB 5749-2022 生活饮用水卫生标准. https://openstd.samr.gov.cn/bzgk/std/newGbInfo?hcno=99E9C17E3547A3C0CE2FD1FFD9F2F7BE；杭州市联合调查组 (2025). 关于杭州市余杭区部分小区供水异常调查情况通报（2025 年 7 月 23 日），新华网转载 http://www.news.cn/20250723/1be62dac3b0b4461a643791ff552e93d/c.html；杭州市余杭区人民政府. 余杭区 2025 年 4 月／5 月／6 月水源水水质监测数据（杭州余杭水务控股集团公开，检测单位杭州嘉澍环境监测有限公司，附件 PDF 表 1 第 24 项「粪大肠菌群」） https://www.yuhang.gov.cn/art/2025/5/8/art_1229204072_59140140.html、https://www.yuhang.gov.cn/art/2025/6/5/art_1229204072_59142885.html、https://www.yuhang.gov.cn/art/2025/7/3/art_1229204072_59146464.html；公安部网络安全保卫局 (2025). 编造虚假「警情通报」，捏造「粪水」谣言，邵某豪被刑事拘留 http://www.news.cn/politics/20250722/3178b3bd189c4eb4b293982e92aab438/c.html；重庆市市场监督管理局 (2022). 桶装饮用水消费提示（2022 年 10 月 25 日） https://scjgj.cq.gov.cn/bkzs/spbk/202210/t20221025_11222964.html