Hostname: page-component-77c89778f8-vpsfw Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-07-22T08:58:49.373Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Improvised Purification Methods for Obtaining Individual Drinking Water Supply Under War and Extreme Shortage Conditions

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 June 2012

Abdulah Kozlicic ,
Abdulfetah Hadzic  and
Hrvoje Bevanda
Abdulah Kozlicic*
Affiliation:
Department for Preventive Medicine and Diagnostic Microbiology, State Hospital of Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Abdulfetah Hadzic
Affiliation:
Department for Preventive Medicine and Diagnostic Microbiology, State Hospital of Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Hrvoje Bevanda
Affiliation:
Department for Preventive Medicine and Diagnostic Microbiology, State Hospital of Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
*
Principal Investigator, Disaster Reanimatology Study Group, International Resuscitation Research Center, Department of Anesthesiology/CCM, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA 15260USA
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Background:

Supplying an adequate amount of drinking water to a population is a complex problem that becomes an extremely difficult task in war conditions. In this paper, several simple methods for obtaining individual supplies of drinking water by filtration of atmospheric water with common household items are reported.

Methods:

Samples of atmospheric water (rain and snow) were collected, filtered, and analyzed for bacteriological and chemical content. The ability of commonly available household materials (newspaper, filter paper, gauze, cotton, and white cotton cloth) to filter water from the environmental sources was compared.

Results:

According to chemical and biological analysis, the best results were obtained by filtering melted snow from the ground through white cotton cloth.

Conclusions:

Atmospheric water collected during war or in extreme shortage conditions can be purified with simple improvised filtering techniques and, if chlorinated, used as an emergency potable water source.

Keywords

disaster medicinedisaster preparednessdisaster responsedisasterspublic health and sanitation in disasterwarwater purificationwater supply
Type
Invited Papers
Information
Prehospital and Disaster Medicine , Volume 9 , supplement S1: Invited Papers from Sarajevo , June 1994 , pp. S25 - S28
Copyright
Copyright © World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine 1994

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1. Pravilnik o higijenskoj ispravnosti vode za pice. Sl list SFRJ 33/87, 1987 (Uredba sa zakonskom snagom o preuzimanju i primjenjivanju saveznih zakona koji se u Bosni i Hercegovini primjenjuju kao republicki zakon, Sl list RBiH February 1992).Google Scholar
2. Grcic, J, Ronko, A, Cekic, S: Potrosnja i norme potrosnje vode u sklonistima. U: Voda i narodna odbrana (Snabdijevanje vodom u ratu i drugim vanrednim prilikama). Zbornik radova sa savjetovanja; Beograd, 1974, pp 65–68.Google Scholar
3. Andelski, A., Antic, M., Basta-Nadoski, Lj., i sar: Higijenske mjere kod snabdijevanja vodom u naseljima i poljskim uslovima, sanitarna i RBH zastita vodnih objekata. U: Savezni zavod za zdravstvenu zastitu. Zdravstvena zastita u ONO. Beograd, 1977, pp 135–137.Google Scholar
4. Vracaric, B: Snabdijevanje vodom u vanrednim stanjima. U: sar, Savicevic i (eds), Higijena. Beograd-Zagreb: Medicinska knjiga, 1978, pp 505–508.Google Scholar
5. Manojlovic, M: Aparati, uredaji i improvizacije za obradu i dekontaminaciju vode u ratnim i drugim vanrednim prilikama. U: Voda i narodna odbrana (Snabdijevanje vodom u ratu i drugim vanrednim prilikama). Zbornik radova sa savjetovanja. Beograd: 1974, pp 43–62.Google Scholar
6. Rasic, T: Hlorisanje vode u ratu i vanrednim prilikama. U: Voda za pice. Prirucnik za hlorisanje i pregled. Beograd, 1980; pp 35–43.Google Scholar