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

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

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

In plain terms: 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.

Benefit: 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).

Evidence grade: C (controversial)

Sources: Beijing Municipal Development and Reform Commission. Residential water price list. <https://fgw.beijing.gov.cn/bmcx/djcx/jzldj/202003/t20200331_1752796.htm>; State Administration for Market Regulation of China National Standard Full Text Disclosure System. GB 5749-2022 Hygiene Standard for Drinking Water. <https://openstd.samr.gov.cn/bzgk/std/newGbInfo?hcno=99E9C17E3547A3C0CE2FD1FFD9F2F7BE>; Hangzhou Joint Investigation Team (2025). Report on the investigation of abnormal water supply in some residential areas in Yuhang District, Hangzhou (July 23, 2025), reproduced by Xinhuanet <http://www.news.cn/20250723/1be62dac3b0b4461a643791ff552e93d/c.html>; People's Government of Yuhang District, Hangzhou City. Yuhang District water source water quality monitoring data in April/May/June 2025 (publicly disclosed by Hangzhou Yuhang Water Holding Group, testing unit Hangzhou Jiashu Environmental Monitoring Co., Ltd., attachment PDF Table 1 Item 24 "Fecal coliforms") <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>; Ministry of Public Security of China Cyber Security Bureau (2025). Shao Mouhao was criminally detained for fabricating false "police information reports" and fabricating "dung water" rumors. <http://www.news.cn/politics/20250722/3178b3bd189c4eb4b293982e92aab438/c.html>

Notes: 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.