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COLLECT, FILTER, AND PURIFY WATER

Collecting water and making it safe to drink is one of the most important survival skills.

A human being can survive for several weeks without food, but barely three days without water. One of the best ways to collect water (without relying on the rain) is to construct an evaporation trap.

HOW TO MAKE AN EVAPORATION TRAP

You will need some plastic sheeting, a digging tool, a 1¾-pint (1-liter) container, a drinking tube (optional), and some rocks.

• First find a moist area that receives sunlight for most of the day. Dig a bowl-shaped hole about 3 ft 3 in (1 m) in diameter and about 2 ft (60 cm) deep.

• Dig a hole the width of your container in the middle of the floor of the hole and sink the container into it.

• If you have a drinking tube, place one end in the container and the other end outside the hole.

• Place the plastic sheeting over the hole, trap the edges with rocks and then place a single rock in the center of the sheeting so that it forms an inverted cone. Then seal the edges of the sheeting with soil so air cannot escape from the hole.

During the day, the heat of the sun will make the moisture in the ground evaporate into the air, but it will condense again when it hits the plastic sheeting, and this condensed water will drip down the inside of the sheeting and collect in the container. A large trap should produce about 1¾ pints (1 liter) of clean water a day.

HOW TO FILTER WATER

Fill a container (hollow log, plastic bag) with alternating layers of rock, sand, and cloth. Make about ten small holes in the bottom of the container and place an empty container underneath. Then pour water into the top of the filter. This process will remove grit and sediment (a filter made solely of cloth will only remove visible particles). If possible, allow the water to sit for twelve hours after being filtered, to improve the taste.

HOW TO PURIFY WATER

The best way to purify water is to boil it for at least ten minutes. Alternatively, let the water sit for at least six to eight hours in full sunlight. The ultraviolet light will kill most microorganisms.