Practical Methods for Drinking Water Supply in Crisis and Emergency Situations

The importance of water and disease transmission has been known for a long time. One of the necessities of human life, both in times of peace and in times of crisis, is to drink "safe water". Drinking healthy, disease-free water plays an important role in preventing water-borne diseases such as acute and chronic diarrhea. Water-borne pathogens are abundant and include bacteria, viruses, protozoa, and parasitic worms.Adequate water supply and water purification in emergency situations and control and monitoring of water quality have particular importance. The United Nations recommends that each person needs 20-50 liters of healthy freshwater per day to meet basic human needs such as drinking, cooking, and cleaning, of which 2-4 liters per day is sufficient for drinking and should be provided from the best quality water sources. The minimum amount of drinking water consumption on the first day after the occurrence of a catastrophe to survive in a mild climate and mountain conditions is one liter per day and to survive in hot and dry conditions 3 liters per day.In the present review study, the practical and applied methods appropriate to the available technology for the drinking water supply of small communities have been presented.