What are the Best Practices for Long-Term Storage of Drinking Water?

Water, a liquid made up of hydrogen and oxygen, is the most important substance for life after air. About 55-70% of the body of living beings consists of water. You can live without food for weeks, and without water for several days. The human body needs water to stay healthy and maintain adequate blood volume. Due to these properties, water is called “secret food”.

The body shows that it is dehydrated by feeling thirsty. But when you feel thirsty, the body is already dehydrated, so drinking water without waiting for thirst is important for a healthy life.

An adult, healthy person should drink two liters (about 8 glasses) of water a day. Although drinking water is the most useful fluid for the body, unsweetened fruit juices, milk, soups and herbal teas can also meet the daily fluid needs. Along with fruits, vegetables and other foods, a significant amount of water enters our body. Since sugary drinks reduce water absorption, they cannot completely replace water. Coffee, tea and alcoholic beverages cause thirst as they increase the excretion of water from the body. A cup of tea and coffee is equivalent to only half a glass of water.

On a normal day, our body loses about two liters of water every day. 240 ml of water is lost in the form of steam with breathing, 120 ml with normal sweating, and 120 ml with defecation. The remaining amount is lost in the urine. If water intake is insufficient, a person produces infrequent, small and dark colored urine. The light color of the urine is an indication that the body can absorb as much water as it needs.

Sweating on hot days or after strenuous exercise increases the body’s water loss. In proportion to the lost water, the daily amount of water to drink should be increased to three or even four liters. Since the need for water will vary according to the environment and the person, the amount of water to be drunk should be adjusted according to the feeling of thirst and the color of the urine.

Signs of good drinking water

• It should not contain disease-causing microorganisms.
• It should be odorless, colorless, transparent and pleasant to drink.
• The water should not contain substances that give the water a bad smell and taste, such as phenols and oils.
• It should be soft enough.
• It should not contain elements such as hydrogen sulfide, iron and manganese.
• The water should not contain harmful chemicals. Some chemicals can be toxic; such as arsenic, cadmium, chromium, selenium, lead, mercury. In addition, substances such as barium, nitrate, fluoride, radioactive substances, ammonium, chloride are substances that have an extremely negative effect on health.
• It should not contain nitrites or ammonia. These indicate that the water is contaminated with organic matter. Nitrate, on the other hand, indicates that the pollution is too high. The presence of these substances in drinking water is dangerous. It is more dangerous for children.
• The presence of more than 200 milligrams of chlorine in water can be considered a sign of pollution.
• 1-2 milligrams of iron should be in 1 liter.
• The most important substances that give water hardness are calcium, magnesium and chloride compounds.

According to the degree of hardness, waters are generally grouped as follows:

• Waters with an FSD of 1-14 are soft waters.
• Waters with an FSD of 15-28 are moderately hard waters.
• 29 + FSD waters are hard waters.

Generally, spring waters are soft waters (1-14 FSD).

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