page 1
page 2
page 3
page 4
page 5
page 6
page 7
page 8
page 9
page 10
page 11
page 12
page 13
page 14
page 15
page 16
page 17
page 18
page 19
page 20
page 21
page 22
page 23
page 24
page 25
page 26
page 27
page 28
page 29
page 30
page 31
page 32
page 33
page 34
page 35
page 36
page 37
page 38
page 39 page 40
page 41
page 42
page 43
page 44
page 45
page 46
page 47
page 48
< prev - next > Water for Life - Community water security (Printable PDF)
Water for Life 39
Filtering water
There are many ways to filter water to make it safer from germs. Some filters, like
the ones on page 42, require special equipment to make, but can filter large amounts
of water to make it safe to drink. Other filters, like the ones on this page, require
no special equipment and are easy to use to filter smaller amounts of water before
disinfecting.
Charcoal filter
This filter is easy to make and works well for removing most
germs from small amounts of water. Because the germs that
are filtered out will grow on the charcoal, it is important to
remove and clean the charcoal often if the filter is used daily,
or anytime the filter has been unused for a few days.
1. Punch holes in the bottom of a
container with a sharp instrument.
2. Grind charcoal to a fine powder and
rinse with clean water. Activated
charcoal works best, but ordinary
charcoal will work almost as well.
NEVER USE CHARCOAL BRIQUETTES!
THEY ARE POISON!
Charcoal
Thin cloth
Sand
Pebbles
3. Place layers of stones, gravel, and
sand in the container. Put in a thin
cloth and a layer of charcoal on top.
4. Pour water into the filter and collect drinking water from the bottom vessel.
Cloth filters
In Bangladesh and India a filter made of
sari cloth, a finely woven cloth, is used
to reduce the amount of cholera germs
in drinking water. Because the cholera
germ often attaches to a tiny animal
that lives in water, filtering out these
animals also filters out most cholera
germs. This method also filters out
guinea worms.
You can make a cloth filter out of
handkerchiefs, linen, or other fabric.
Old cloth is more effective than new
cloth because worn fibers make the
pores smaller and better for filtering.
1. Let water settle in a container so that solids sink to the bottom.
2. Fold the cloth 4 times and stretch or tie it over the mouth of a water jar.
3. Pour water slowly into the jar through the cloth.
Always use the same side of the cloth, or germs may get into the water. After using the
cloth, wash it and leave it in the sun to dry. This kills any germs that may be left in the
cloth. In the rainy season, disinfect the cloth with bleach.