Water Supplies

Drinking Water

Every home and institution should have water stored in case of an emergency.  To store enough drinking water for three days follow the steps below-:

• Obtain suitable plastic containers (20 litre food-grade containers are ideal, plastic soft-drink containers can also be used).
• Thoroughly clean and rinse, and fill with clean fresh water until it overflows.
• Add five drops of household bleach, e.g. Janola, per litre of water and put in storage. Do not drink for at least 30 minutes after disinfecting.
• Label each bottle with date showing when the bottles were filled and when they need to be refilled. 
• Store in a dark cupboard or room.
• Check every six months (it should look bright and clear and not smell. Rinse, fill and re-date every year.
• If the water is not clear, throw it out and refill clean bottles with clean water and bleach.
• Store bottles in two separate places, somewhere dark away from direct sunlight where there is not likely to be flooding.
• Alternatively, fill plastic ice cream containers with water, cover, label and keep in the freezer. These can help keep food cool if the power is off and can also be used for drinking.

If you need to use the water, but are not comfortable that the water is still perfect (you may have left it more than 12 months), simply add some chlorine (a teaspoon of bleach from the kitchen cupboard per 20 litres is perfect), shake and leave for 30 minutes before using. If it tastes a bit flat, just add a dash of lemon juice.