In the very unfortunate event that you find yourself stranded outdoors away from civilisation, you will surely need water far more quickly than you will food in order to survive. Luckily there are some fantastic methods you can apply in order to keep yourself hydrated with safe, clean water until you are rescued.
You should keep bottled water with you at all times no matter where you are, but once this runs out, you will need to replenish your supply, so hold on to the bottle!
The very best method of purifying contaminated water is to boil it vigorously for about one minute, and then let it cool down before drinking. If you find yourself in an area with a higher altitude, boil the water for about three minutes. This will kill most biological threats such as harmful bacteria.
Alternatively, you could make a rudimentary water filter by following these steps:
Step 1 Cut off the base of your empty water bottle so that it now has two openings.
Step 2 Roll your sock tightly and place it in the bottle (by the bottleneck) , place some burnt wood charcoal on top of the sock. The wood should be completely black; do not allow any of the white ash to get in the bottle.
Step 3 Roll your second sock tightly and place it firmly on top of the charcoal. Cover it with some non-salty sand found from a river or stream.
Step 4 Find a third piece of clean cotton material, perhaps a cut-off from your shirt, roll it tightly, and place it on top of the sand layer. Cover it with some green moss or grass, as this will aid in improving the odour and flavour of the water.
You can then pour the contaminated water through this water filter, and it should come out clear from the bottleneck end. If the water does not yet look clear in appearance, filter it through again and again until it looks clear enough to drink.
It is imperative that you do not ingest contaminated water before purifying it, as this could lead to severe bacterial infection and suffering. Just keep your wits about you!
