My wife goes to Nanjing tomorrow. Stories the students have told me about the water.

 

My wife is going to Nanjing tomorrow.  She is pregnant so too much is at stake for her to stay here.  Wuxi TV news is reporting that the Water problem is getting better.  I don't believe.  My water is still malodorous.

I had a speaker's corner today about guess what?  Here are some of the stories the students have told me:

• Many people are not taking baths.  There are stories circulating that the water causes rashes.
• Restaurants have already shut down because most people believe they still use tap water.  Either that or they just cannot afford to buy bottled water.
• The Chinese are flocking to McDonalds and KFC because they are perceived as using only the best water.  Meanwhile, they don't trust Chinese restaurants.
• Instant Noodles are selling out.  People don't want to go to restaurants.  People don't want to cook at home.  A student has told me that he ate instant noodles yesterday for the first time in two years.
• Vendors are coming to Wuxi from Northern Jiangsu and Anhui province selling bottled water.
• Many Wuxi residents are getting their water from wells which are perceived as being clean and uncontaminated.
• The government's official position is that the water is safe for drinking.  This is what the students have repeatedly told me.
• One student sees a golden lining in this.  He believes this incident will be impetus for the government to seriously act to stop pollution.
• A student who lives by Lake Tahui said he first noticed smelly water about three weeks ago.  He lives near Lake Taihu.
• The students believe that the crisis is the fault of the government for allowing foreign companies, especially the Japanese, to  come here and pollute.