Algae as the Scapegoat, Truth in Absence: A Rational Inquiry into Hangzhou’s Tap Water Contamination
— The “Fecal Water Incident” in Hangzhou and What It Reveals
作者：周志刚
编辑：胡丽莉 责任编辑：罗志飞 翻译：鲁慧文
7月中旬，一场突如其来的“自来水异味事件”在杭州余杭区爆发，引发全国关注。自来水出现浓烈“粪臭”或“死老鼠”气味，有市民家中水呈黄褐色带明显杂质，饮水系统的安全性遭遇质疑，而随后官方给出的解释是：“在特定自然气候条件下藻类厌氧降解，释放硫醚类物质。”
然而，作为一名关心公共卫生安全的普通百姓，我想提出以下六个问题，愿听者有心
一：“藻类厌氧”足以解释如此恶臭与混浊吗？
硫醚类气体（如甲硫醇、二甲硫醚）确实具有强烈气味，但一般为“腥臭”“沼气味”，而非市民普遍描述的“粪臭”“下水道臭”。更重要的是，藻类气体的释放一般不导致水体变色或肉眼可见杂质——而这恰恰是大量居民拍摄视频所呈现的事实。是否还有其他污染源被刻意隐瞒？我们需要更具体、完整的水质检测数据，而不仅是“初步查明”。
二：为何“自然现象”仅在特定片区集中爆发？
余杭仁和一带遭遇异味最重，而毗邻街道甚至同一区域的不同小区却无感。若是气候引发的藻类变化，应该是系统性、渐进性的污染，为什么会呈现“集中爆发”而非“广泛漫延”？
这是否说明污染有更具体的源头，比如供水管道交叉污染、回流事故、排污口倒灌等？是否排查过建设施工破坏供水系统的可能？
三：为何没有预警机制？水厂何时知情？
一场能引发万人抢购矿泉水的危机，市政与水务部门竟无任何预警。居民先发现臭味，再轮到媒体报道，最后才有政府通报。这一应急链条严重滞后，这暴露的不仅是技术问题，更是公共治理能力长年累积的欠账。
我们想知道：水厂在何时首次检测到异味？为何没有提前切换水源或发布临时停供通知？既然“异味可疑但无毒”，为何不主动解释透明？
事实上，在官方的“辟谣“当中，表明了是16号上午就已经检测到了水质问题。这说明水质检测部门其实早就知道了事情，但是却觉得并不重要，没必要第一时间断水并通告。这完全不把民众的安危当一回事，简直丧尽天良。
四：补偿机制是否合理？谁来负责健康损害？
对居民减免5吨水费，大约14元。这笔钱远远无法覆盖居民因饮水污染产生的成本：包括抢购饮用水、餐馆用水损失、工业产线停滞，更重要的是——对孩子、老人等脆弱人群的健康影响可能是不可逆的。
更令人愤怒的是，作为世界第二大经济体、对外援助出手阔绰的“强国”，在面对本国公民遭遇公共危机时，却只给出这样一笔微不足道的赔偿。至今也未见任何“免费体检”“疾病监测”或“后续医学观察”的安排。如果异味水体中真含有毒物或重金属，后果将由谁承担？
作为参照，在美国发生的水危机俄亥俄州弗林特（Flint）水危机（2014–2021年）
2020年达成初步诉讼和解，约 6亿美元赔款，其中80%分配给受影响儿童家庭。
随后，2021年批准的总体和解金额增加至 6.26亿美元，并展开大规模管线更换和医疗支持。与美国弗林特水危机中对受害者所做出的巨额赔偿、医疗支持和公共问责相比，中国的做法显得冷漠而轻率。一个自称“为人民服务”的政权，却连最基本的健康体检和病因调查都不愿承担，仅以14元水费打发群众，这是对公民的极度轻视。
五：在“打谣”之前，是否先要“公开”？
事件曝光后，官方最先处理的不是污染，而是谣言。有多个账号因“传播粪水论”被公安通报。固然网络不能无底线造谣，但“粪臭”的直观体验是千百市民共同感知，远非凭空杜撰。普通人发声是出于恐惧、焦虑与无助，而不是恶意编造。
相比打压言论，我们更希望看到完整水质检测报告、责任主体调查、整改时间表与第三方独立监督机制。
六、民众的无知与麻木
在社交媒体上，喝了污水的人自嘲“现在吃屎都要走表了”，甚至有人说“找几个杭州生活的外国人去告他们”。因为他们知道，在中国国有企业的信息都是不需要对民众公开的，即使是被迫公开那也是政府单方面给出的信息，民众没有权力也没有渠道去监督和问责。人们甚至害怕，自己只是试图寻找真相、要求赔偿，就可能成为被“整顿”的对象。所以，在自嘲一番之后，最终也只能沉默收场。
追究其根本原因，用一句话概括：权力凌驾于公民权益之上，信息封锁替代透明公开，局部利益肆意践踏公共安全！
杭州的居民喝了几天粪水，供水部门最初“毫不知情”。直到有人投诉，才发现水质异常。而当真相曝光，事件爆发后中共维稳机器全面启动，短短几天热度迅速下降，舆论关注点迅速被引导为“不造谣 不传谣”。
令人愤怒的是：没有哪位官员因此引咎辞职；没有官方向居民致歉；只有象征性的“5吨水费补偿”。
相比之下，美国弗林特水危机相关官员被刑事起诉，政府承担巨额赔偿；韩国世越号沉船事故导致总统辞职、多名官员司法追责和制度调整；日本福岛核事故引发高层辞职及全面核安全调查和监管强化。为什么在中国，官员永远不用为公共灾难负责？因为：权力被高度垄断，言论被严密控制，监督被彻底掐断，问责形同虚设，法律赔偿不过是空中楼阁。
城市治理的虚假繁荣，官僚体系对人民基本尊重的缺失，“无毒无害论”式洗地言论的荒谬，民众“逆来顺受”心态的可悲，这些才是造成整个粪水事件的根本原因。
今天是杭州，明天也可能是你的城市。喝下一杯污水，脏的只是身体；若选择沉默，污染的则是灵魂。一个真正健康的社会，不应让人把不公归咎于“我运气不好”，而应让人敢于追问：“这是谁的责任？谁该承担后果？”
藻类只是替罪羊，真正的毒瘤是失责的权力和封闭的信息。只有揭开真相、追究责任，才能守护每个人的生命安全与尊严。沉默只会助长腐败，唯有发声才能唤醒良知。
Algae as the Scapegoat, Truth in Absence: A Rational Inquiry into Hangzhou’s Tap Water Contamination
— The “Fecal Water Incident” in Hangzhou and What It Reveals
By: Zhou Zhigang
Editor: Hu Lili Chief Editor: Luo Zhifei Translated by: Lu Huiwen
In mid-July, a sudden outbreak of “foul-smelling tap water” in the Yuhang District of Hangzhou triggered national concern. Residents reported their tap water smelling strongly of feces or dead rats, with some households observing brownish, murky water with visible impurities. Public confidence in water safety plummeted. The official explanation?
“Anaerobic decomposition of algae under specific natural climatic conditions, releasing sulfur-containing compounds.”
As an ordinary citizen concerned about public health, I feel compelled to ask six serious questions. May those with a conscience take heed:
1. Can “anaerobic algae” really explain the stench and turbidity?
Yes, sulfur compounds like methanethiol and dimethyl sulfide are known for their strong odor—but typically they smell fishy or swampy, not fecal or like sewage, as widely reported. More importantly, algae decomposition rarely causes visible discoloration or particulate contamination, which contradicts the video evidence presented by many residents.
Is it possible that other pollution sources are being deliberately concealed? We demand detailed, transparent water quality data, not vague statements like “preliminarily identified cause.”
2. Why did this “natural phenomenon” affect only certain neighborhoods?
The worst-hit areas were in Renhe Town, Yuhang, while adjacent streets or even nearby communities remained unaffected. If the cause were truly climatic and algal in nature, the contamination should have spread gradually and systemically, not explosively and locally.
Could the real cause involve pipe cross-contamination, backflow incidents, or illegal discharges? Was the possibility of construction damage to water infrastructure investigated?
3. Where was the early warning system? When did the water plant know?
The public was the first to detect the issue, followed by media coverage, and only last came the government response. This broken emergency chain reveals not just technical failure, but long-standing governance incompetence.
We ask:
• When did the water plant first detect the abnormality?
• Why didn’t they switch water sources or issue a temporary shutdown warning?
• If “the water is unpleasant but not toxic,” why not communicate openly?
Ironically, official statements admitted that water quality anomalies were detected as early as July 16. That means the authorities knew early but chose not to act, leaving residents unknowingly exposed. This is an utter disregard for public safety—a moral collapse.
4. Is the compensation mechanism fair? Who will take responsibility for health impacts?
The local government offered a 5-ton water bill deduction—about 14 yuan (~$2). This is a mockery, given the real losses:
• Bottled water panic-buying
• Restaurant and business closures
• Manufacturing disruptions
• Most importantly: Potential irreversible health risks, especially for children and the elderly.
This is outrageous, especially from a country that boasts of foreign aid generosity. Where is the support for its own citizens during a public crisis?
No free health screenings, no medical surveillance, no toxicology reports. If the water contained harmful chemicals or heavy metals, who bears the consequences?
Consider the Flint water crisis in the U.S. (2014–2021):
• A $600 million settlement in 2020, 80% allocated to affected children
• Expanded to $626 million in 2021
• Massive pipeline replacements and medical programs followed
Compared to this, China’s token compensation is cold and dismissive—a national disgrace.
5. Before fighting “rumors,” shouldn’t transparency come first?
After the issue surfaced, authorities acted not to solve the problem, but to suppress dissent. Multiple social media users were penalized for “spreading fecal water rumors.”
While fabricated rumors must be discouraged, the foul smell was real, experienced by thousands, not imagined.
Citizens spoke out from fear and helplessness, not malice.
Rather than muzzling the public, what’s needed are:
• Complete lab reports
• Accountability investigations
• Timelines for fixes
• Third-party oversight
6. Public Ignorance and Apathy
Online, some affected residents resorted to dark humor:
“Even drinking shit water needs to be metered now.”
Others quipped, “Let’s get some foreign residents to sue them.”
This bleak sarcasm reflects a tragic reality:
In China, state-run utilities have no legal obligation to disclose full information. Even forced disclosures are one-sided, non-negotiable.
People fear that simply seeking the truth or demanding compensation may result in state retaliation.
And so, after a round of self-mockery, the people fall silent again.
The Root of It All: Power Above Accountability
In summary:
• Power overrides citizen rights
• Information blackout replaces transparency
• Local interests trample public safety
Residents drank contaminated water for days, while the supply company claimed ignorance.
Once exposed, the government’s stability-maintenance machinery went into overdrive: in just days, public attention was redirected to “don’t spread rumors.”
Not a single official resigned.
No formal apologies issued.
Just a symbolic refund of 5 tons of water.
Contrast this with:
• Flint (USA): Officials criminally prosecuted, government paid hundreds of millions
• Sewol Ferry (South Korea): President resigned, criminal trials, policy reforms
• Fukushima (Japan): Senior officials stepped down, national safety overhaul
Why does no Chinese official ever take responsibility?
Because:
• Power is centralized and unaccountable
• Speech is controlled
• Oversight is suppressed
• Legal remedy is a mirage
The root causes of this “fecal water” crisis are:
• Illusory governance
• Arrogant bureaucracy
• Absurd narratives of “no harm detected”
• And the people’s resigned compliance
Today it’s Hangzhou; tomorrow it could be your city.
Drinking contaminated water harms the body; staying silent pollutes the soul.
A healthy society should never make people say,
“I was just unlucky.”
It should empower them to ask,
“Who is responsible? Who must be held accountable?”
Algae is just a scapegoat.
The true cancer lies in neglectful power and opaque systems.
Only by uncovering the truth and demanding accountability can we protect the lives and dignity of every citizen.
Silence nurtures corruption; only by speaking out can conscience awaken.
