Chapter 5: Outdoor Safety
Survival Skills
(continued)
Water
- Even in cool weather, you need
two to four quarts of water a day.
Under most conditions, humans can
last only about three days without
water.
- Pure drinking water is rare, even
in the most remote regions. Clear
mountain streams often are contaminated
by Giardia lamblia, a parasite
that causes serious intestinal sickness
in humans.
- The best way to purify water is
by boiling. Chemical purifiers such
as iodide or chlorine and filter
systems can be used, but some may
not be satisfactory. Never make
survival problems worse by drinking
unsafe water.
Solar
Still
Solar stills can provide
emergency drinking water.
Ground water condenses on
a plastic cone set in the
ground and drips into a collecting
pan.
To make a solar still:
- Dig a pit 3 feet wide
by 18 inches deep.
- Place a shallow container
in the center.
- Run a tube from the container
to the edge of the pit.
- Lay clear plastic over
the pit and place a rock
or a little soil in the
center to form a cone.
- Draw water through the
tube to avoid disturbing
the still.
- Make several stills if
you have no other source
of water.
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