Recently, Beijing publicly disclosed its tap water quality information for the first time. Cheng Jing, during the Beijing Two Sessions, introduced that the municipal water department will increase its efforts to educate the public about tap water quality information, such as water hardness and salinity, so that citizens can correctly understand its meaning. He stated that some citizens mistakenly believe that Beijing's tap water is hard and that drinking it can easily lead to diseases like kidney stones. In fact, the current water hardness in Beijing is around 320, while the national standard is 450. Beijing's water hardness not only meets the national standard but is also far below it. Furthermore, he mentioned that according to research from the health department, there is no causal relationship between water hardness and the incidence of stone-related diseases. The widespread belief in Beijing that hard tap water can easily cause kidney stones is not scientifically sound.
In response to some citizens' suggestion that an independent third-party should be involved in monitoring the water quality, now that it has been publicly disclosed for the first time, Cheng Jing stated that the institution currently releasing this information is already an independent one. This institution's monitoring scope not only includes municipal water plants but also water plants in various districts and counties, and its data is from a wide range of sources and is impartial.
Cheng Jing also stated that although the city's tap water quality is currently fully compliant, some residential areas do experience a certain degree of secondary contamination at the terminal of their internal pipe networks due to their own conditions or aging infrastructure. Although this "last mile" situation is the most complex, Cheng Jing made it clear that the city will definitely intensify efforts to address this issue. He explained that remedial measures could include solving the problem through old building renovations or demolitions. At the same time, residential property management companies are also encouraged to proactively apply for water quality testing and to carry out necessary renovations for any issues found.
According to Cheng Jing, after the flood season next year, the water source from the South-to-North Water Diversion Project will officially enter Beijing and be integrated into the city's water supply network. He stated that the city will implement various measures to ensure that after the integration of this new water source, Beijing's tap water quality will continue to meet national standards. As for whether the water price in Beijing will change at that time, he said that this will require government pricing decisions.