A press release from the Department of Health dated August 7, 2012 Health Secretary Enrique T. Ona urges the public to take precautions to make drinking water safe amidst possible contamination after the continuous heavy rainfall and flooding in Metro Manila and nearby provinces (www.gov.ph). After Iligan City was destroyed by typhoon Sendong on the eve of December 17th, 2011, I believe this press release is very important not just for the Manilenyo’s but of course the Iliganons. Therefore, I decided to post it here in this web-blog.
The following are guidelines in purifying water to be safe for drinking, cooking and the like. §Water must be filtered first to trap and remove large impurities. Any clean cloth or coffee filter can be used as a sieve. §If the water is cloudy, it can be made to stand for half a day, after which, clear water can be scooped and then filtered. §Boiling water kills all potential germs you may get from contaminated water. Heat water and allow it to boil for two (2) minutes then let it cool. Boiled water that has cooled can be used immediately. Stirring it or putting it from one clean container to another container several times or adding a pinch of salt or powdered juice can improve taste. The diagram below shows how to purify water in a process other than boiling, which is called, chlorination which involves simple and easy steps: Materials: 1. Not-so-clean water (water gathered from unsecured source). 2. Water container. 3. Piece of clean cloth (Ex. Katcha/Cheese cloth). 4. Some unscented bleach (Ex. Zonrox or clorox). §Water can be disinfected by adding 2 drops of 5% chlorine solution (unscented bleach) for every one (1) liter of unrefrigerated water. Allow it to stand for an hour. If a faint chlorine smell is detected after an hour, then it is safe to drink. Repeat the procedure, if you cannot detect the smell after your first try. If it does not have the faint chlorine smell on the third try then the water must be discarded since it may contain many germs. To improve taste, allow it to air some more or transfer it from one clean container to another several times. §Follow provided instructions if you opt to use commercial chlorine tablets for purifying water. Chlorine solutions are also available in most health centers or evacuation centers.
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