Water in Survival Situations

 

Whenever you are in a survival situation, the most important thing you need is water. Whether you are in an urban area or out in the wild, finding a supply of water should be your first order of business. Without water, there is no way that you can survive. It is even more important than food. We can go weeks without eating, but can't survive more than 4 days without water.



When you're in an urban setting, finding water shouldn't be too difficult. When you are out in the wild, however, this can be a really big problem. Try to find a water source with animal life on it. Because there are animals, this means the water is clean enough to sustain life. But finding a source isn't the only problem, you also have to worry about decontaminating your water. If you were to drink contaminated, waterborne pathogens are going to get to your system and cause so much trouble for you. There is a big chance you will suffer from stomach pains, sickness, vomiting, diarrhea, and so many others when you don't disinfect your water. There are even some people who have died because of this. This is why disinfecting your water is so important.



Be careful whenever you are looking for water. Always remember that just because the water looks clean doesn't mean that it is safe to drink. And just because water isn't clear doesn't mean it is dangerous. The best thing you can do is to decontaminate any water before drinking it. The best and most effective way to do this is by boiling it. Boiling your water is going to kill all the water-bound pathogens, so you don't have to worry anymore. If you find that there is some dirt in there, a simple cloth filter will remove those.



You might find yourself in a situation where you can't boil your water, what should you do? The good news is that there are several other ways to disinfect water. One of these is by using iodine. Iodine is something that is commonly found in first-aid kits. If you have some on hand, just add 5-10 drops on a liter of water. Wait for around 30 minutes and your water should be safe to drink.



Another alternative you have is bleach. Iodine is valuable in survival situations and you may want to save that. If you just so happen to have some bleach around, you should use this instead for purifying your water. The chlorine in the bleach is the one that kills off the bacteria and viruses found in the water. Adding 5-10 drops of bleach on a liter of water and waiting for an hour should make your water safe to drink. Try to avoid scented bleaches though, as these have other chemicals that you may not want in your system.



If you have a straw-type filter, you can use this if there are no other options. These should be last resort because the filter only removes sediment, it doesn't kill bacteria. However, it is a lot better to be sick than to die of dehydration. So if you have no other option, you should drink because you can't survive without it.