Mixed Messages On Water Quality

From the Department of Huh?

Saying that the administration inspects all water purification plants around the country for a total of more than 10,000 inspections a year, Yuan assured the public that 99 percent of the plants in Taiwan pass [Taiwanese] EPA standards for drinking water safety.

Well, that's a relief.  But then the story concludes by making the reader wonder just how rigorous those standards really are:

Saying that water in Taiwan can be consumed safely; Yuan . . . warned that tap water should be boiled before drinking.  [emphasis added]

Comments

[Fili]

This article mentions why :
http://www.chinapost.com.tw/taiwan/national/national%20news/2008/05/13/156135/EPA%3A-Water.htm

"People in Taiwan are still required to boil tap water to prevent ingestion of possible contaminants from pipes or during the water's distribution process."

Taipei Times just forgot to add the reason.

[The Foreigner]

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Shoot, I had the Post's version in front of me, but I must have skipped over that line. Still, at the end of the day, water that has to be boiled is water that has to be boiled. Perhaps the people in charge of the distribution network should look into stainless steel pipes or plastic pipes or whatever is needed to ensure contaminant-free H20 at the tap.

Anyways, thanks for pointing that out. Oh, and happy 60th.

[Jarrod J]

I'm curious if anyone can find out where this mostly occurs? By that I mean, is the public infrastructure what's in need of overhaul, or do contamination concerns mostly center around the pipes in the buildings, many decades old, since water infrastructure beyond the point of connection is owned and controlled by the building owners, not the water company, I believe.