Water Treatment Methods

Heat : Heat kills micro organisms, bringing water to a boil is adequate for disinfection.

Chlorine : Chlorine has been used for several centuries for water disinfection. The most common objection to it is the flavor.

Iodine : It has advantages over chlorine in convenience and probably efficacy; many travellers find the taste less offensive as well. It should not be used by persons with allergy to iodine, persons with active thyroid disease or pregnant women.

Use Betadine® (10% povidone-iodine) in a small dropper bottle, and fill up the bottle (1litre) from a stream, drop in 4 drops of Betadine®, screw on the lid, and half an hour later, it is ready to drink.

Filtration : Filters work by physically removing infectious agents from the water. The organisms vary tremendously in size, from large parasitic cysts (Giardia and Entamoeba histolytica 5-30 µm), to smaller bacteria (E. coli 0.5 x 3 µm, Campylobacter 0.2 x 2 µm), to the smallest viruses (0.03 µm). Thus, how well filters work depends to a great extent on the physical size of the pores in the filter medium.