Kerala floods: NDMA issues guidelines on how to purify water. Follow these steps to prevent infection

With the waters receeding away in Kerala, a number of people have moved away from relief camps back to their homes.

One of the biggest challenges the residents and victims have faced is the lack of drinking water. While several groups, including the Indian Army, Indian Navy, and the Coast Guard, the Indian Railways, and thousands of Indians have been distributing bottles of water to the state.

On Thursday, however, the National Disaster Management Authority, also put forth some instruction on how you can purify water using chlorination as an alternative to boiling.

#KeralaFloods #KeralaFloods2018 #MadhyaPradesh #Bhopal #Rajasthan #KarnatakaFloods pic.twitter.com/blqWMBZG7K

— NDMA India (@ndmaindia) August 23, 2018

Step 1: Filter out large impurities using a clean piece of cloth or a coffee filter. Ensure the container is clean

Step 2: Chlorinate by adding two drops of unscented bleach to every litre of water. So, if you have two litres of water, then it's four drops of bleach, three litres, then six drops and so on.

Step 3: Smell the water after an hour. A faint chlorine smell should indicate success.The smell is usually like bleach. If there is no odour, discard the water as it may still have germs

Chlorination of water is recommended by the Directorate of Health amidst possible contamination during calamities, so you need not worry about consuming chlorinated water.

Earlier, Kerala-based magazine Manorama released a list of do's and don'ts to follow when you move back home.

Before entering the house

1 While speaking of vigilance, the directive asks people not to venture out alone after a flood. Take 2-3 family members or friends with you, and never take children if you’re stepping out to ask for help.

2 People are also advised not to travel at night. The logic, the directive says, is that during daytime everything can be seen. People are also advised caution while opening gates that have cement fences. “Everything has been underwater and even cement can collapse,” the directive states. Similarly, wooden doors would have bloated in the floods, which would make it tough to open. “Don’t apply too much force at a go because the drenched walls would not be in the best shape.

3 People are also advised to carry a mask and not touch corpses with their bare hands.

Read the full list here