When “water from the sky” meets “surface water”: Does heavy rain affect the normal drinking of tap water?

Science Times reporter Hu Lijuan

Recently, continuous heavy rainstorms in Guizhou, Hunan, Jiangxi and other places have not only caused the water levels of rivers to rise, but also caused people to worry about the safety of urban drinking water sources.

In this regard, Ma Guansheng, a professor at the School of Public Health of Peking University, said that after the heavy rain, the raw water of a few cities that use surface water as their tap water source may be slightly polluted, but the water quality after treatment by the water plant meets national standards and can be drunk normally.

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The raw water for tap water is mainly collected from water sources such as reservoirs, rivers, lakes and groundwater. When heavy rain comes, rainwater will wash the ground and bring pollutants on the ground into the water source. However, this impact is usually short-lived. After the water source is polluted, the water plant will immediately take measures such as coagulation, sedimentation, filtration and disinfection to strengthen water quality monitoring and treatment to ensure that the tap water produced finally meets the drinking water standards.

"Do not drink raw water. Try to drink boiled water, bottled water, or barreled water prepared on-site or delivered by purification equipment. Do not drink water from unknown sources or that is contaminated. Do not use water from unknown sources or that is contaminated to rinse your mouth, wash vegetables, etc." Ma Guansheng suggested that the public should consciously protect the sources of drinking water and their surrounding environment, and should not pile up domestic garbage or dump domestic sewage at designated locations.

Ma Guansheng reminded that during the rainstorm, the public should pay attention to the drinking water safety guidelines and warnings issued by the government or relevant departments, and follow the advice of professional organizations. If any problems are found in drinking water, such as discoloration, smell or taste, they should be stopped immediately and reported to the local relevant departments.