Water Procurement
By: Abby Ling
Every environment has water present to some degree.
Areas to Find Water
In cold areas you can melt and purify snow or ice. If you are stranded at sea you can drink desalted sea water or catch rain with a tarp. When on a beach you can dig a hole to allow water to form then drop hot rocks in it and hold a cloth over the hole to absorb the steam. When in a desert you can cut of the top of a barrel cactus and suck on the pulp. Do not eat the pulp.
Getting water from trees
If you find a banana tree it can give you water. Just cut the tree down leaving about a 30 cm stump and make a bowl shape out of it. The roots will fill the stump up with water. Be sure to cover it so insects do not get in the water. Also some vines can provide water.
Purify any water before drinking it.
Purifying Water
To purify water you can add five drops of 2 percent tincture of iodine to clear water, if the water is cloudy or cold then use ten drops. You can also boil your water. At sea level boil it for a minute and add a minute every 300 meters above sea level. There is also the option of boiling the water for ten minutes no matter where you are.
If you drink non-potable water you could be at risk of getting diseases or swallow things that can harm you.
Filtering Water
The water you find might be muddy, stagnant, or foul smelling. To get rid of these possibilities you can either use some filtering device or let it stand for twelve hours. Doing this will only make the water more clear and palatable. You will still have to purify the water. Below are examples of water filtering systems.