Finding and purifying water in emergency situations
🚰 Why find and purify water?
In a crisis situation, drinking water quickly becomes a critical resource for your survival. Knowing how to locate, purify and store it safely is vital.
1. Quickly identify potential water sources
Natural: Rivers, streams, lakes, rainwater collection.
Domestic: water heaters, cisterns (excluding toilet bowls), water collected after recent rains.
There are many websites that list and locate sources of drinking water. To provide a solution that may be less comprehensive, but which has the advantage of being valid worldwide, we invite you to download FreeTaps this free application references drinking water sources, geolocates you and guides you to the nearest fountain.
2. Assess visual and environmental water quality
– Observe the water carefully: avoid turbid, stagnant water, water with strong odors, or water near dead animals or waste.
– If in doubt, always purify water before consumption.
3. Equipment supplied with your Evakit
– Shelf-stable water ration: Your Evakit includes 0.5 liters of drinking water per person, divided into 10 x 50 ml rations, ideal for immediate emergencies.
– Personal filtering straw: Use your filtering straw to drink directly from a natural source, effectively eliminating bacteria and parasites. Our filtering straw can also be screwed onto a bottle, or used with the soft wineskin supplied.
4. Reliable additional purification methods
– Boiling: Boil the water for at least 1 minute (3 minutes at higher altitudes).
– Purifying tablets: Strictly follow the dosage instructions (we have chosen not to include any in your Evakit bag, as the filtering straw is suitable for many more uses, and can also be used to remove unpleasant odors or improve water turbidity, but you can of course add some to your kit if you wish).
5. Rescue methods without special tools
– Solar purification (SODIS): Expose a clear bottle of water to the sun for at least 6 hours.
– Improvised filtration: Use natural materials (charcoal, sand, cloth) to remove large impurities before further purification.
Please note that these filtration methods require special know-how, which you’ll find at the end of this article. If your filter straw is functional, use it,
6. Safe storage of drinking water
– Store purified water in clean, airtight containers.
– Drink filtered or boiled water quickly, ideally within 24 to 48 hours.
Common mistakes to avoid
– Drink untreated water due to precipitation.
– Disregard any suspicious appearance or odour of the water.
– Use a dirty or contaminated container to store purified water.
IN SUMMARY:
When faced with an emergency, first use the water resources of your Evakit, then identify safe sources, assess water quality, purify it using your filter straw or recommended methods, and ensure proper storage.
Your safety depends on your ability to obtain and store safe drinking water.
☀️ Solar purification (SODIS method)
The SODIS (Solar Water Disinfection) method uses solar energy to disinfect water:
– Materials required:
– A clear plastic bottle (PET), clean and free of scratches.
– Clear water (avoid cloudy water, otherwise filter first with a cloth).
Steps to follow:
– Fill the bottle to 3/4 full, close it and shake vigorously to oxygenate the water.
– Finish filling the bottle completely and close it tightly.
– Place it horizontally in the sun, ideally on a reflective surface (aluminum, sheet metal).
– Leave in the sun for at least 6 hours, ideally all day if the weather is overcast.
– If the weather is cloudy, leave in the sun for at least two full days.
Important:
– This method effectively removes bacteria and viruses, but does not remove chemical contaminants or large solid particles.
– Not suitable for very turbid water (pre-filtration mandatory in this case).
🌿 Improvised filtration with natural materials:
This method removes the largest impurities before treating the water with a complementary method (boiling, chemical purification).
Materials required:
– A plastic bottle or container cut in half.
– Fine, clean sand.
– Fine, clean gravel.
– Vegetable charcoal (obtained from a wood fire, cooled and reduced to pieces).
– A piece of clean cloth or bandana.
Steps:
1. Take the plastic bottle and cut it into two parts. Invert the top part, neck downwards, to create a filter.
2. Place the piece of cloth at the bottom to prevent sand from passing through the spout.
3. Fill the filter in successive layers, from bottom to top:
– A thick layer of charcoal.
– An intermediate layer of fine sand.
– A top layer of small pebbles or gravel.
4. Slowly pour the water through the improvised filter and collect the filtered water underneath in a clean container.
5. Once the water has been filtered, it is essential to carry out chemical purification or boiling to completely eliminate harmful micro-organisms.
Important:
– This home filter only removes solid impurities and certain organic pollutants. It is not sufficient to make water directly drinkable.
– It is essential to treat the filtered water with boiling, chlorine or purifying tablets after this stage.
