Most people in Hong Kong don't drink tap water (or at least not without filtering and/or boiling it first). Offices very often don't have their own water supply (hence the slightly bizarre sight of people washing cups in the washroom), so the only option is distilled water, distributed around Hong Kong in large lorries.
Although the water itself is doubtless very pure, the containers in which it is distributed can get very dirty whilst they transported around Hong Kong and left on the street prior to delivery to the office building (because the lorries cannot park for long enough). If you don't clean the top of the container before putting it in the dispenser there is every change that the dust and dirt will get in with the water.
Then there's the fact that most dispensers offer a choice of ice cold and boiling hot water. If you want your water at room temperature you end up mixing the hot and cold together, which is a ridiculous waste of energy.
I have an idea - what if we had pipes to distribute clean and pure water to every office in Hong Kong? No, it would never work...
You're the kind of dangerous subversive Beijing is worried about.
Posted by: Simon | June 24, 2004 at 01:17 PM
I drink the tap water. I think it's a lot of nonsense put about by the water companies that it's not safe to drink.
Posted by: fumier | June 24, 2004 at 06:04 PM
I agree it's safe to drink, but it is also full of chemicals that they use to purify it. Boiling it helps to get rid of the chemicals.
Posted by: Chris | June 24, 2004 at 08:32 PM
Um... hong kong water. Water in ny taste like a swimming pool.
Posted by: y | July 02, 2004 at 12:26 AM
what's wrong with the dispenser?? i am in america and this is how the dispenser are, ice cold water and hot water, if we want warm water, we will mix them.
Posted by: vl | July 06, 2004 at 04:12 AM
It's a waste of energy! Why not have water at room temperature as well?
Posted by: Chris | July 06, 2004 at 08:58 AM
ilive in hong kong too. im doing my project, i want to ask, whats chemicals are in the hk tap water anyways?
Posted by: deidre | April 13, 2005 at 03:15 PM
Deidre, the water in Hong Kong contains DiHydrogen Monoxide which can be very dangerous in sufficient quantities. Some notable dangers of the substance are:
# Death due to accidental inhalation of DHMO, even in small quantities.
# Prolonged exposure to solid DHMO causes severe tissue damage.
# Excessive ingestion produces a number of unpleasant though not typically life-threatening side-effects.
# DHMO is a major component of acid rain.
# Gaseous DHMO can cause severe burns.
# Contributes to soil erosion.
# Leads to corrosion and oxidation of many metals.
# Contamination of electrical systems often causes short-circuits.
# Exposure decreases effectiveness of automobile brakes.
# Found in biopsies of pre-cancerous tumors and lesions.
For more information, see http://www.dhmo.org"
Posted by: dave | April 13, 2005 at 03:55 PM