The Importance of Purifying Water

A lot of us spend lots of time and money making sure our food storage is ready and available in case of an emergency, but how about our accessability to clean, drinkable water? If a disaster occurred tomorrow and you were without power to your house, how would you supply yourself with clean water? Never assume that in an emergency situation, clean water will be easy to find because it usually is not. Without electricity you will not have any water pressure because the municipal pumps will not be functioning so it is crucial that you learn to be self reliant. The fact of the matter is that water is more important than even food when it comes to survival. The human body can only survive for 3 days without water. So what are the easiest and most popular ways to treat unsanitary water, so that you don’t have to store hundreds of gallons of clean water In your home?

The first and most common way is to simply boil the water. Unsterilized water contains many forms of bacteria and parasites which, if ingested, can potentially lead to serious illnesses or death. For this reason it is necessary to first make sure that you kill all of the harmful pathogens in the water before drinking. Simply bring the water to a boil (212°F / 100°C) and let it boil for a full minute. The time it takes to bring the water to boiling and then cooling down afterwards is more than enough time to insure that all the harmful bacteria is destroyed.

The second most popular way to clean unsanitary water is to add a small amount of bleach to the water. The chlorine in the bleach will disinfect the water and make it safe to drink. To start, take the water and make sure it is clear of dirt and sediment by straining it through a filter or cloth. Then take regular liquid bleach, containing NO soaps or dyes, and add 8 drops (1/8^th US teaspoon) per one gallon of water. Mix it thoroughly and then let it sit for 30 minutes. After that, smell the water. If the water has a faint smell of chlorine, it is OK to drink. If it does not have a chlorine smell, start the process over.

As we all know, emergency preparedness is a constant journey. Take it one step at a time when you get overwhelmed, and never give up. Click on this link for a social media site with more ideas for being prepared.

Author Bio- Dirk Puckett is an author and emergency preparedness educator who resides in Springville, Utah. For more water purification tips, click the link.