Festina Lente

If you didn’t already know, it is unsafe to drink the water here in Peru if left untreated. This is the case for visitors and natives alike. Therefore, to stay hydrated, volunteers have three options. One is to buy bottled water. Bottled water in US standards is generally pretty cheap (about 33 cents for a bottle), but the cost can build up over time and they don’t really give us enough to cover that in our monthly stipend. Another option is to boil water. Depending on your source of fire, this too can be costly. Imagine how much gas, wood, or charcoal you would go through to boil enough water to drink over the course of days. Additionally, boiling with wood or charcoal can give a smoky unpleasant taste to the water. The last option is something called the sodis method. You leave a clear plastic water bottle filled with untreated water out in the sun, and the sun’s rays disinfect it leaving you with clean nice tasting water. Here are the details:

- it has to be clear plastic, not colored plastic
- remove wrappers
- no bigger than a 2.5-3 liter bottle
- if the bottle is very scratched up, it won’t work, needs to be clear, clean plastic
- It must get non-stop direct sunlight so roof access is usually necessary
- put it up on your roof, or in another place where it will receive direct sunlight all day, you can remove it at the end of the day
- if it is cloudy, it is recommended that you leave it out for two days
- if you are getting the water from a lake or river, you need to filter it first to ensure that it is clean of dirt and particles (worst case, run it through a t-shirt or something)

That is it! Cheers!