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Down ’n dirty: The truth about Beijing’s floodwater
By Matthew Jukes Source:Global Times Published: 2012-7-25 19:33:19
Most people got caught outdoors in the rain at some point on Saturday, with some completely submerged. Is the content of the water a cause for concern? Photos: Li Hao/GT
The images of China's capital city brought to its knees by poor drainage and infrastructure have gone around the world.
Pictures of people struggling through murky brown, waist-high water in desperation to rescue their personal belongings and loved ones have now become iconic.
While the collapsing buildings and blocked roads have received most of the attention, what is lurking beneath the surface of the water could pose a potentially bigger threat.
Long-term residents of the city, who have endured Beijing's spontaneous torrential downpours, are well aware that the water running through the streets is far from clean, leaving a trail of black stains, debris and filth in its path.
Many would have cried out in horror upon viewing the intentionally humorous video of a foreign resident of the city swimming in the muck outside a compound in Beiyuan, Chaoyang district.
All the while they probably experienced some small abdominal cramps of sympathy for the gastrointestinal discomfort that is bound to follow.
So what exactly is in the water that many had to wade through?
Not drinking water
On Wednesday several outdoor swimming pools in rural areas were found to be contaminated and are apparently under scrutiny by the authorities.
Local organizations and experts have issued precautionary health warnings, while environmental campaigners remain a little on edge about the potential pollution knock-on effects.
The worries have been shared by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which is currently deploying teams to the harder hit areas of the city, distributing water and checking sources of drinking water, according to a Legal Mirror report on Monday.
The focal points are Fangshan, Tongzhou, Changping and Haidian districts, where water sources near rural communities are at risk of contamination.
However, on the whole the city appears to have remained surprisingly resistant to the side effects of dirty water running through the streets.
A spokesperson for International SOS, a worldwide medical and security services company, has said that they have not seen an increase in illness associated with contaminated water at their Beijing clinic, but have released guidelines on how to stay safe in the wake of floods and protect oneself from floodwater-related disease and injury.
The guidelines suggest that people should avoid floodwater. It should not be used for cleaning, bathing, playing, drinking or cooking, as the water may contain sewage and possibly infect exposed wounds.
Anyone suffering from gastrointestinal problems or irritated wounds should get in touch with a doctor immediately.
Polluted?
For those of us living in the city center, it's less about what has washed into the local well for drinking and more about the potential pollution.
"A lot of the problems with the flood water inside the city stem from car exhaust fumes," said Zhang Junfeng, founder of the nongovernmental water resource watchdog Happy Water Journeys.
"When the weather is dry, the exhaust is released harmlessly into the air; when it rains the fumes are dissolved in water, which can pose a risk to anyone whose skin or body is exposed to the dirty water."
Zhang added that while there is a fair portion of grit, oil, garbage and various other detritus washed from the streets of Beijing into the water, at least in theory, the rainwater is clean, which should dilute anything harmful down to a safe level.
The WHO (World Health Organization) does issue safety guidelines for flooding, although notes that the risk of seriously contaminated water is low.
Potential contamination of drinking water from flooded sewers and other high risk sources is also a factor.
In Beijing, where bottled or boiled drinking water is essential, the question remains an environmental matter.
"I'm sure in the floodwater you find pollution like lead or even chemical pollution," said Zhang Xiang, an environmental protection volunteer, who had been monitoring water quality around the Qinghe River, Haidian district, for NGO Green Beagle.
"It certainly would not be advisable to go swimming or get deep in the floodwater. It will have a bad effect on the human body, but it is unlikely to cause serious problems," he noted.
Zhang argues that the hazards in the water are a direct result of deposits left by vehicles on Beijing's roads, which are liberated from their normally ingrained resting places when it floods.
He also expressed worries that the amount of rubbish washed from the streets will just end up polluting Beijing's rivers.
Greenpeace has adopted a different stance. It has issued a statement that there should be no major toxicity risk posed by the floodwater, given Beijng's distance from chemical factories, one of the major causes of contamination in China.
"Many chemical-related accidents happen during summer time, when you see frequent extreme weather incidents like rain and flooding. A large number of such accidents are preventable if an inventory [of chemical risk areas] is created beforehand and the information is disseminated in a timely manner," said Ma Tianjie, toxic campaigner for Greenpeace China.
"Whenever a natural disaster happens, we have to be watchful of the secondary damages that can be even more severe and deadly," Ma noted.
As yet, the CDC has not made an official announcement of any contamination of Beijing's drinking water and is utilizing 500 tons of disinfectant to make sure it stays that way.
When contacted by the Global Times the CDC declined to comment officially, though one CDC insider said that there should be no immediate threat to the public's health.
"There should be no direct impact from water that will be dangerous to residents and it is unlikely that there will be bacteria in the water," he said. "At the same time, it will solve Beijing's water shortage problem," he noted.
Xiang Xiangping contributed to this story
The images of China's capital city brought to its knees by poor drainage and infrastructure have gone around the world.
Pictures of people struggling through murky brown, waist-high water in desperation to rescue their personal belongings and loved ones have now become iconic.
While the collapsing buildings and blocked roads have received most of the attention, what is lurking beneath the surface of the water could pose a potentially bigger threat.
Long-term residents of the city, who have endured Beijing's spontaneous torrential downpours, are well aware that the water running through the streets is far from clean, leaving a trail of black stains, debris and filth in its path.
Many would have cried out in horror upon viewing the intentionally humorous video of a foreign resident of the city swimming in the muck outside a compound in Beiyuan, Chaoyang district.
All the while they probably experienced some small abdominal cramps of sympathy for the gastrointestinal discomfort that is bound to follow.
So what exactly is in the water that many had to wade through?
Not drinking water
On Wednesday several outdoor swimming pools in rural areas were found to be contaminated and are apparently under scrutiny by the authorities.
Local organizations and experts have issued precautionary health warnings, while environmental campaigners remain a little on edge about the potential pollution knock-on effects.
The worries have been shared by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which is currently deploying teams to the harder hit areas of the city, distributing water and checking sources of drinking water, according to a Legal Mirror report on Monday.
The focal points are Fangshan, Tongzhou, Changping and Haidian districts, where water sources near rural communities are at risk of contamination.
However, on the whole the city appears to have remained surprisingly resistant to the side effects of dirty water running through the streets.
A spokesperson for International SOS, a worldwide medical and security services company, has said that they have not seen an increase in illness associated with contaminated water at their Beijing clinic, but have released guidelines on how to stay safe in the wake of floods and protect oneself from floodwater-related disease and injury.
The guidelines suggest that people should avoid floodwater. It should not be used for cleaning, bathing, playing, drinking or cooking, as the water may contain sewage and possibly infect exposed wounds.
Anyone suffering from gastrointestinal problems or irritated wounds should get in touch with a doctor immediately.
Polluted?
For those of us living in the city center, it's less about what has washed into the local well for drinking and more about the potential pollution.
"A lot of the problems with the flood water inside the city stem from car exhaust fumes," said Zhang Junfeng, founder of the nongovernmental water resource watchdog Happy Water Journeys.
"When the weather is dry, the exhaust is released harmlessly into the air; when it rains the fumes are dissolved in water, which can pose a risk to anyone whose skin or body is exposed to the dirty water."
Zhang added that while there is a fair portion of grit, oil, garbage and various other detritus washed from the streets of Beijing into the water, at least in theory, the rainwater is clean, which should dilute anything harmful down to a safe level.
The WHO (World Health Organization) does issue safety guidelines for flooding, although notes that the risk of seriously contaminated water is low.
Potential contamination of drinking water from flooded sewers and other high risk sources is also a factor.
In Beijing, where bottled or boiled drinking water is essential, the question remains an environmental matter.
"I'm sure in the floodwater you find pollution like lead or even chemical pollution," said Zhang Xiang, an environmental protection volunteer, who had been monitoring water quality around the Qinghe River, Haidian district, for NGO Green Beagle.
"It certainly would not be advisable to go swimming or get deep in the floodwater. It will have a bad effect on the human body, but it is unlikely to cause serious problems," he noted.
Zhang argues that the hazards in the water are a direct result of deposits left by vehicles on Beijing's roads, which are liberated from their normally ingrained resting places when it floods.
He also expressed worries that the amount of rubbish washed from the streets will just end up polluting Beijing's rivers.
Greenpeace has adopted a different stance. It has issued a statement that there should be no major toxicity risk posed by the floodwater, given Beijng's distance from chemical factories, one of the major causes of contamination in China.
"Many chemical-related accidents happen during summer time, when you see frequent extreme weather incidents like rain and flooding. A large number of such accidents are preventable if an inventory [of chemical risk areas] is created beforehand and the information is disseminated in a timely manner," said Ma Tianjie, toxic campaigner for Greenpeace China.
"Whenever a natural disaster happens, we have to be watchful of the secondary damages that can be even more severe and deadly," Ma noted.
As yet, the CDC has not made an official announcement of any contamination of Beijing's drinking water and is utilizing 500 tons of disinfectant to make sure it stays that way.
When contacted by the Global Times the CDC declined to comment officially, though one CDC insider said that there should be no immediate threat to the public's health.
"There should be no direct impact from water that will be dangerous to residents and it is unlikely that there will be bacteria in the water," he said. "At the same time, it will solve Beijing's water shortage problem," he noted.
Xiang Xiangping contributed to this story
Posted in: Society, Metro Beijing