38 Water for Life
Settling water
When water settles, mud, other solids, and germs and worms that cause illness fall
to the bottom. Storing water for 5 to 6 days will reduce the number of germs in the
water. But some germs, like giardia, will not be killed by any length of storage. For
this reason it is best to use another method after letting water settle, such as filtering,
chlorinating, or solar disinfection.
3 pot method
The 3 pot method settles water so germs and solid matter fall to the bottom. This
method is safer than settling water in 1 pot, but it does not make the water completely
free of germs. The 3 pot method should be followed by disinfection (see page 40).
Morning, Day 1: Fill pot 1 with water. Cover the top and let it settle for 2 days.
Morning, Day 2: Fill pot 2 with water. Cover it and leave for
2 days. The dirt in pot 1 will begin to settle
Morning, Day 3: Pour the clear water from pot 1 into
empty pot 3, making sure not to disturb the sediment at
the bottom of pot 1. The water in pot 3 is now ready for
drinking. The dirty water left in the bottom of pot 1 can be
poured out. Wash pot 1 and refill it with water. Cover it
and let it settle for 2 days.
Morning, Day 4: Pour the clear water from pot 2 into
pot 3 for drinking. Wash pot 2 and refill it with water.
Morning, Day 5: Pour the clear water from pot 1
into pot 3 for drinking. Wash pot 1 and refill it
with water.
Every few days wash the clear water pot
(pot 3) with boiling water. If you use a clean flexible
pipe to siphon water from one pot to the next the
sediment will be less disturbed than if you pour the water.
Using plants to clear and settle water
In many places people use plants to make water safer to drink. One plant used often
is moringa seeds from East Africa, known as malunggay in the Philippines, horseradish
tree or drumstick tree in India, and benzolive tree in Haiti
and Dominican Republic. To use moringa seeds:
Dry the seeds for 3 days.
Grind the seeds to powder. It takes 15 ground
moringa seeds to clear 20 liters of water.
Mix the powder with a little water to make a
paste, and add it to the water you want
to clear.
Moringa seeds
Stir for 5 to 10 minutes. The faster it is stirred the less time is needed.
Cover the container and set it aside to let it settle. After 1 to 2 hours, pour the water
into a clean container. Be careful to leave the solids in the first container.