Why does the water in Taiwan need to be boiled?
My parents are Taiwanese, and as such, I've gone to Taiwan to visit relatives there before, numerous times. I've always wondered why we have to drink Kai Bai Shui, or boiled water, in the home. Taiwan is a very industrialized nation with a terrific infrastructure. Why is it that tap water still needs to be boiled before one drinks it?
Public Comments
- Even though it is very industrialized maybe they still don't have the technology to take out enough pollutants from the water so it is safer to boil the water. I used to do that where I lived here in the states and it was only because the water tasted like chlorine and my stomach hurt. That or I would by bottled water.
- It has things in it that could harm your body. Boiling water makes it clean.
- well if you think of it logically you could narrow it down. it could be the water there is generally bad (with bacteria and other germs) and so boiling it will lower the risk of illness as you said Taiwan is very industrial so if pollutants got into the water then boiling it may decontaminate it or a very silly answer could be that the Chinese could be trying to poison the water supply and the Taiwanese government advised the boiling of water as a precaution
- they must simply not have the plumbing systems in place which make water safe for human consumption
- The water is contaminated as a result of industrial emissions. factory wastes has contributed to the increase of air pollution. People have to boil water so they get sick.
- I live in Taiwan. I've asked a few people this myself - what it boils down to (sorry) is that the water supply in Taipei and the majority of the country has been so heavily polluted (the price Taiwan has payed for it's rapid industrial development) and basically, even though the water is slowly improving - it's not fit to drink. Even after processing it should be boiled for AT LEAST 3 mins before consumption (this is what the GOV recommend). GaoXiong on the other hand is another story. The water source has been contaminated with Arsenic (which can kill - but in he case of the small amounts present in GaoXiong's water can cause brain damage). The residents of GaoXiong (Taiwan's second largest city) - drink only bottled water, they won't even brush their teeth in tap water.
