Dirty Water

Every day I ride the tricycle pedi-cab the four and a half blocks to school, 

I pass by a strange water pipe line that runs across the sidewalk onto the street. 

I know it is difficult to see in this photo, but the water pipe is contained in these cement blocks that the orange line is painted onto. It takes the water from one side of the sidewalk to the street.

I believe the water in the pipe is all of the excess water from a building project that is on that particular block. 

This cement line is really inconvenient as it crosses the entire sidewalk, meaning that if anyone is riding a bike, they have to go onto the street to get around it. 

The first time I walked by this cement line I noticed a number of large holes in the top of the cement boxes so that you can see the water flowing through the pipe. I think that this water line is actually a service to people. You see, every day there are between one and five cars parked right next to the line, with their driver's taking advantage of the free water. 

Since everyone here lives in apartments, no one has yards. And since no one has a yard, no one has hoses. This means that people generally have very limited access to large amounts of water. 

So the question is: how do people keep their cars/mopeds/motorcycles clean?

Answer: They bring cleaning supplies with them and park their cars by the water line. 

It seems like a smart thing to do, but it's probably not. 

I have been told by numerous people that the Chinese just don't seem to pay too much attention to the dangers of contaminated water (or food). My boss told me that there is a good chance that there are some very dangerous chemicals in that water being pumped out into the street, but people just don't care. 

But we must keep in mind that chemical spills aren't uncommon here in China. 

Last month the Yangtze River turned red from an unknown "chemical spill," and just last week a 50 foot wall of foam made its way through a small village after an accidental chemical spill. 

People just don't seem to care, 

or they are more worried about the cleanliness of their car than their general state of health.