Imagine you’re deep in the wild, miles from civilization. Maybe you’re lost in the wilderness, are facing a disaster, or have just run out of drinking water when camping. Finding some fresh water or purifying some dirty water could mean the difference between survival and dehydration.
The Hunt for Hidden Water
1) Follow nature trails.
Water doesn’t just casually announce itself with a neon sign. It might be hidden away in plain sight, and all you have to do is unearth it, and one of the most successful methods is following nature trails.
Birds, insects, and mammals often live near water. Bees, for example, stay within 4 miles of a water source. If you are lucky, it might take you a very short while to strike a shallow deep.
Some green plants, especially willow or cottonwood trees, also thrive near water sources.
2) Collect rainwater
You might just hit the jackpot with dew that clings to the leaves at dawn. Collecting it requires something like a tarp to funnel it into a container. Another method that can be used is to tie an absorbent cloth around your ankles and walk through grass at dawn. Then wring the water collected in a water container.
In an emergency, you might be lucky to be near a roof that will collect water, but always avoid the first-flush runoff as it may contain contaminants.
3) Dig for it
Sometimes water can be hidden below the surface. Find a damp surface and dig a hole. Then, place a plastic container inside the hole and cover it. Most likely, the water will condense inside the container. Although this may take a long time, maybe a bottle a day, you really don’t have many options.
4) Collect from plants
We have plants like bamboo, banana, and cactus that store water. For the bamboo, you can cut a notch to release trapped water; for a banana, you chop a small horizontal hole near the bottom of the trunk, a bout 1 or 2 feet from the ground, to release the trapped water into a container.
Turning Dirty Water Into Drinkable
Finding hidden water isn’t enough. Drinking raw water could be a cocktail of bacteria, parasites, and toxins, but all you have to do is purify it, and there are different methods to do it.
1) Boiling
This is the OG method of purifying bacteria that’s been used time immemorial. Three to five minutes at a rolling boil kills most bacteria, viruses, and even Giardia.
2) Filtering
Portable straws like LifeStraw or Sawyer suck water through tiny pores, trapping microbes. They’re light enough to toss in your pack and perfect for bringing along when camping. A makeshift filter can also work magic if you didn’t bring any of the filters along.
All you have to do is layer gravel, charcoal, and sand inside a container to remove the harmful chemicals before you can boil it. Then you are good to go.
3) Bleach
For emergencies, one can use bleach, which contains 5-6% sodium hypochlorite. Add 2 drops per liter and wait for 20 to 30 minutes before drinking the water.
4) Solar trick
UV from the sun has been known to kill microbes. All you have to do is place the dirty water in a transparent container and leave it in the sun for around 8 hours. This kills up to 99% of microbes and also allows the impurities to settle at the bottom of the container before you pour out the water to drink.
Real-World Grit: A Survivor’s Tale
A story told by John, a long-distance trader crossing the Tsavo in Kenya back then, when mobile phones were not a thing. The man’s old truck broke down inside the Tsavo savanna, at a time when not much activity was scheduled to happen along that road for 3 days, because it was during the Christmas holiday. On day two, his water ran out.
He spotted a herd of impala converging at dusk, tracked them down, and found a muddy wallow. No filter, no stove, just a plastic bag from his glovebox. He scooped the sludge, tied it to the back of his truck, and waited for evening the next day so he could drink the water.
Conclusion
When an emergency strikes, the clock starts ticking, and finding and purifying water becomes a priority. Water’s non-negotiable to your body, and dehydration is a silent killer. The difference between panic and preparedness comes down to the skill of securing safe water. You don’t need a fancy filter or a mountain spring to survive. You can turn deadly water into life-saving hydration with only sunlight, a plastic bottle, and a little ingenuity.
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