92 Protec ting Communit y Water
Make Water Safe to Drink
It is better to protect and use a source of safe water, such as a spring or
protected well, than to treat and use water from a contaminated source, such
as a river or waterhole. But water from any source will need to be treated if it
has been contaminated, if people refuse to drink it due to color or taste, or if it
is carried and stored in the home. (Water from pipes, tanks, and wells will also
need treatment before drinking if it has been contaminated.)
The methods you choose to treat water will depend on how much water
you need, what it is contaminated with, how you will store it, and what
resources are available. No matter how it is treated, it is best to either let the
water settle and pour it into another container, or to filter the water before
disinfecting it (see page 94). This removes the sediment (particles of dirt).
Removing sediment makes disinfection easier and more effective.
The methods shown here do not make water safe from toxic chemicals.
Water that contains toxic chemicals is never safe for drinking, bathing, or
washing clothes. It may lead to cancer, skin rashes, miscarriages, or other
health problems.
To make water safe from germs, follow these 2 steps, filter and disinfect:
1. First, let the water settle for a few hours and pour it into a clean
container, or filter it:
Cloth filter
... or ... Charcoal filter
Sand
Charcoal
Coarse Sand
Filtered water
See pages 93 to 97 for other ways to settle and filter water.
2. Then, disinfect the water using 1 of these methods:
Adding
Boiling ... or ... chlorine ... or ...
Adding lime or
Solar disinfection ... or ... lemon juice
Important: Only after the second step is the water safe to drink.
A Community Guide to Environmental Health 2012