TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A German Ph.D. student captured a photo of a sign in eastern Taiwan warning visitors "Clean Water is not drinkable."

The 35-year-old photographer, Christian Auffermann (@chris.in.taiwan), told Taiwan News that he captured the image at a rest stop in Hualien County on July 12. Looking at the traditional Chinese characters at the top of the sign, it becomes clear that the intended meaning was "Cleaning water, please do not drink."

The water was deemed only suitable for cleaning purposes and not fit for human consumption. The sign was posted by the Taroko National Park Headquarters, which is run by the Ministry of the Interior in accordance with the National Park Law (國家公園法).

That same day, Auffermann posted the photo on Reddit and asked, "Why is clean water not drinkable?" The post soon gained 257 upvotes and 56 comments, mainly attempting to better convey that the water is not potable and only meant for washing.

(Christian Auffermann photo)