Do you know how to find water in nature?

Imagine that during a multi-day trek you lose the trail and end up stranded in the middle of nowhere with almost no water sources. Water will clearly be the most important priority for survival in the wilderness. You surely know that your body can survive some time without food and you don't need immediate shelter unless you are in extreme heat or cold. But more than 24 hours without water will take its toll on your physical and mental state. It will kill you faster than starvation. To avoid this catastrophic scenario, we bring you several tips on how to find, collect and filter water in nature.

How to find a source of drinking water in nature?

Water can be found in almost all types of environments. Wherever it rains, you can catch it in a container or a tarp. If you are in freezing regions, you can clean and melt ice. However, if the ice is opaque and gray, it is salty frozen water, which is not suitable for drinking.

If you happen to get stranded in the desert, follow the trails that will lead you to camps with water sources. Another source is barrel cacti, which hide juice under their tough bark that you can simply squeeze out. However, be careful of the white liquid that oozes out, which is often toxic and poisonous. 

As a first source of drinking water in an emergency, you might think of rivers, streams and lakes. However, these sources may not be safe. Water can be contaminated, for example, by dead animals, so you should never rely on such sources and should always be cautious. To reduce the likelihood of water contamination, you should prefer fast-flowing water at higher altitudes and far from human dwellings and livestock.

A good source in mountainous areas is also water flowing from a rock. There is a lower chance it is contaminated by animals and plant debris, its temperature is usually low, which reduces the amount of bacteria.

Watch out for wild animals or animal tracks, because animals always know where water is. Animal tracks and forest trails can lead you to it.

In addition to animal tracks, also watch for insects, as most insects move close to water. Lush green vegetation is also a sign that water is nearby. 

It is also good to watch plant indicators, such as willows, which need a larger amount of water, or reed and broadleaf cattail. These are the best indicators of water close to the surface. Dig a hole about 30 centimeters deep with the same diameter and wait. You may be surprised to find that the hole will soon fill with water. Groundwater will be muddy, but straining it through a piece of cloth will clean it and it will suffice for a short time. It is important to realize that whenever you drink water without purifying it, you are taking a risk.

If you are near snow and ice, use it and melt it into drinking water. However, neverconsume frozen drinking water – it will lower your body temperature and lead to dehydration. Melt the snow by placing it in a pot and building a fire underneath. Melt it gradually. If you put it all in the pot at once, the bottom part will melt and soak into the rest of the snow, which can cause the pot to burn.

In most rural areas it is possible to find drinking water, but it may not always be safe. In rural areas there is a high chance of contamination from animal excrement, oily substances from agricultural products and, above all, massive fertilization.

Avoid water if you see an oil slick on the surface. Filtering and boiling do not remove chemicals. If no green vegetation grows around the water or if there are animal bonespresent, which are a sign of pollution, avoid such a source. Also be cautious if there are a lot of mineral deposits at the edge of the water, which could indicate an alkaline condition.

How to detect water contamination

The following indicators can suggest that water is contaminated:

• odor, water covered with foam and bubbles
• discoloration of the water
• water sources around which no vegetation grows or the surrounding plants appear to be sick

Sources of liquids that can be harmful

If you have not found any water source in your surroundings and you feel desperate, under no circumstances replace water with the following liquids:

• Alcoholic beverages - they dehydrate the body quickly
• Urine - contains harmful waste substances and 2% salt
• Blood - can transmit various diseases
• Seawater - contains 4% salt, which means that drinking it depletes the body's water reserves instead of replenishing them

Minimizing water loss in the human body

If you are running low on drinking water or have lost it completely, it will take some time before you find any. To prevent rapid water loss from the body and complete dehydration, follow these guidelines:

• take a break and rest during your search 
• do not smoke or drink alcohol - smoking causes a feeling of thirst and alcohol causes dehydration
• seek out shade
• avoid hot ground and do not lie on it
• eat as little as possible - our body needs water to break down food. By eating, you voluntarily deprive yourself of it and cause dehydration.
• try to talk as little as possible and breathe mainly through your nose, not your mouth 

Techniques for collecting water in nature

There are several techniques that you can effectively use to obtain drinking water in nature. We will introduce some of them:

Collecting water using a solar still

One basic way to collect water is to build a solar still.

For this you will need foil, a shovel or another digging tool, a container, a drinking tube and a stone.

• Choose a damp spot that will be exposed to sunlight for most of the day. Once you have chosen a spot, you can dig a hole about 90cm in diameter and 45cm deep. Place a container for collecting water in the center of the hole. Insert a longer drinking tube into the container. Place its other end outside the hole. Instead of a tube, you can also use hollow reeds.

• Cover the hole with foil or plastic sheeting. Place stones or soil around the edges so it doesn't slip.
• Place a stone in the center of the foil to create a funnel shape, down which water will flow into the container. The sun's heat raises the temperature of the air and soil, creating condensation on the plastic. This method is especially effective in desert areas or in places where it is hot during the day and cold at night.
• With a solar still, you should collect at least 0.55l in 24 hours. If you can afford it, let the water settle for about 12 hours to get a better taste.
• You can drink the water directly through the tube.
• To achieve cleaner water, you can use filtration, which you will learn about below.

Solar still

Condensation technique

If you don't feel like digging, you can obtain water using the condensation technique. You will need a plastic bag/ a plastic bag and something to tie it with.

Trees and plants hold water within them that can save your life if you find yourself without drinking water. The roots of trees and plants draw water from the soil. Trees can even draw groundwater from depths of over 15m depth.

• Take a bag and tie it around a leafy green branch of a tree or bush. Choose healthy plants and trees. Position the bag with the opening facing upward, so that water can collect in the lower corner of the bag. Weigh down the inside with a stone to create a low point.

Condensation using a transpiration bag 

• You can also use cut plants, which you place in a bag where condensation will occur. Place the bag in a sunny spot. The plants or leaves need to be supported from below with stones so that water can collect underneath them. The leaves should not touch the plastic bag. Stretch the bag tight and secure it with a stone. Support it with a wooden peg. Be careful not to tear the bag, so reinforce the peg. 

Condensation using a transpiration bag with plants 

Finally, puncture the bag so you can drink the water. Always avoid poisonous vegetation.

Beach well

If you are near a coastline, a beach well is a great way to obtain drinking water.

• Dig a 90-150 cm hole in a depression behind the first sand dune. Place stones on the bottom of the well so water doesn't seep through the sand, and if possible, line the walls with wood - this will prevent the walls from collapsing. In a few hours, you can obtain up to 4 liters of filtered water. If it tastes too salty, you should move further back, behind the second sand dune.

• This beach well technique works near any body of water. Marsh and lake wells however, dig closer to the water than in the beach version. The same method works in the desert during the wet season - just dig at a low point between dunes, close to vegetation. Look for moist soil in dry riverbeds, and you are likely to find groundwater beneath them. 

Collecting drinking water from dew

Heavy dew can also provide a source of drinking water. The best way to get water from dew is to tie rags or tufts of fine grass around your ankles and walk through the dew-covered grass. When the rags or tufts of grass absorb the dew, wring the water into a container. Repeat the process until you have a supply of water or until the dew disappears.

You can also collect water in the form of rain caught on plants, such as moss. Simply wring it out into a container.

Use plastic sheeting

If you have a poncho or can find plastic sheeting, stretch it out and tie the corners to trees several meters above the ground. Find a container and tie the poncho on a slant with a slight dip so that the rain collects and drains off. If you cannot find a container, tie it at all four corners and let it sag even more - it will serve as a makeshift water bag.

You can catch rainwater in a similar way on the ground. Spread the sheeting on the ground and place a container underneath it to collect water. Using the spread-out sheeting, drops of rain or morning dew will flow into the container. 

How to filter water

You will need a large can or PET bottle, sand, cloth, charcoal, and pebbles. You can also use mosson top, if you can find any.

• Cut off the bottom part of the PET bottle. Punch 5 to 10 small holes in the cap. Fill it with alternating layers of stone, sand and cloth, and charcoal. Place the filled bottle/filter into the smaller container you created by cutting the bottle. Pour in the collected water and wait for it to flow through the filter into the container below.

• The water should flow through completely clean; if not, you can pour it through and filter it again. This method only removes large sediment and improves the taste of the water. You should always purify the water further - preferably by boiling.

How to purify drinking water in the wild

In order to safely drink the collected water, you must purify it first. Boiling is the best and simplest way, to ensure safe drinking water. The water needs to be boiled for approximately 8-10 minutes. You can boil the water in a pot or another container. If you don't have one, you can improvise using the following:

• Aluminum can
• Can
• Large shell
• Glass container
• Hollowed-out wood - by alternating hot stones in it, we can boil water in it.

Before you boil the water, remember to filter it using a shirt, a cloth, a nylon stocking, or a PET bottle filter. This way you get rid of the sediment, that has settled in the water.

One of the methods for boiling water is to fill a bottle completely with water, seal it, and throw it into hot coals. The lack of air in the bottle should prevent the bottle from melting. However, this method of boiling is not an ideal solutionsince parts of the plastic can get into the water. However, it can be used in case of emergency.

If you don't have enough water to fill the bottle, you can hang it over a fire using a rope so that the flames touch the bottom. If you don't know how to make a fire, leave the water in a transparent container in the sun, which can also kill bacteria.

Another way to purify water is to use portable filters or purification tablets. Tablets use either iodine or chlorine to treat water. Always make sure you are not allergic before use. 

Sources: J. Wiseman - SAS Survival Handbook, P. Darman - How to Survive in Extreme Conditions