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In a conflict zone, or in the wilderness, staying hydrated, treating injuries (such as gunshot wounds, broken bones, severe lacerations), treating illness with little access to clean water is incredibly difficult.

Not only is it difficult, it is frustrating, which can lead to anger, depression and the loss of will to live.

Having a basic knowledge of how important water is and how to access it will help ameliorate this difficulty. Let’s get started.

Water

On average, under normal conditions, people lose between 2 to 3 liters of water daily. That must be replenished. Under more stressful conditions, like excessive heat or cold, intense activity or high altitude, or suffering from burns or illness, your body can use even more water.

If you don't replenish your water, it can lead to dehydration.

Signs of Dehydration.

• Extreme thirst and Headaches.
• Less frequent urination and Dark-colored urine with a strong odor.
• Fatigue, Dizziness and increased pulse and breathing.
• Confusion - this can lead to mistakes, and poor decisions, hindering your survival.

Avoiding Dehydration.

Drinking water on a regular schedule is the best way to avoid dehydration. Trying to catch up with your water intake after you are dehydrated is not advisable, because after you're dehydrated, your ability to make good decisions drops, which may make it harder for hydration discipline and access additional water if it is scarce.

• Drink enough water so that your urine output is at least 1/2 a liter every day. Fluid intake, which contains water, should be at least between 3 and 4 liters a day.
• Water can be found in almost any consumable fluid and food. But in most cases, you may have to drink more water to digest food.
• Salt and sugar is also important, but not too much, most foods have salt and sugar.
• If you have to ration water, drink your ration on a regular schedule.
• Also, conserve sweat. Perspiration is responsible for much of the body's water loss.
• Water is essential for cleaning wounds as well, which keeps you healthier, which conserves more water.

Finding and purifying Water.

In every case, with no exception, filter (with cloth or strainer) and boil water before using or consuming. Getting dysentery from unpurified water is fucking terrible. And you can die really easily. So filter and boil water first. Water purification pills work as well, but not as well as boiling.

• Snow and ice - Do not consume without melting and purifying (filtering and boiling).
• Rain - Normally rainwater is pure, but in a conflict zone, the atmosphere could be contaminated, so be sure to purify rainwater before using and drinking.
• What you use to collect rain in, what plant the rain has touched, or where the rain sits on the ground, may be contaminated, so filter and boil it first.
• Lakes, Rivers and Streams (filter and boil it first).

Desalting Salt Water.

• Sea Water and ice - Do not consume without desalting.
  -- Fill a metal cup or container with the water or ice.
  -- Boil water and place cloth over cup to collect steam.
  -- Then wring the water from the cloth into another container.
• The Beach
  -- Dig a hole deep enough for water to collect.
  -- Fill a metal cup or container with the water.
  -- Follow same steps above for Sea Water.
• Alternative with no container at Beach:
  -- Heat rocks with fire and drop into the water
  -- Lay a water absorbing cloth over the hole to absorb the steam
  -- Then wring the water from the cloth into a container.
• If you don't want to use a cloth to collect steam, you can place a flat metal plate (slightly tilted downward) over the boiling water, let the condensation collect on that flat surface, and gravity pulls the water droplets down (because the flat metal surface is tilted down) into the other container.
• There is a lot of trial and error with these methods, you have to prop things up, make sure it’s stable, because you can't hold the metal plate yourself. And with a cloth, you don't want it to be burned up by the fire, so you'll have to find some innovative way to prevent this or hold it yourself.

Other Places to find water.

• You can find water in valleys and low areas.
• Wherever you find a damp ground surface and or green vegetation (just dig a hole).
• At the foot of a cliff, outcrop of rocks, mountain, and sometimes dry river beds.
• Depressions, ground holes, in between rocks (use straw or tube to siphon out)
• Destroyed or intact infrastructure where rain water, snow and ice can collect.
• On top of cars and flat surfaces where snow and ice can collect.
• Condensation on metal is also a good place to find water, like on cars, metal roofs, barrels of weapons, etc... Take an absorbing cloth and soak up water.
• If you are in the American southwest, cutting off cacti bulbs with a machete, mashing them up or squeezing (this is really really tough to do), can provide water.
• Animal trails can lead to water. Flocks of birds circling over water holes during sunrise and sunset. Bird chirping sounds can lead to water at these times as well.
  -- A caveat to this, if you live in an area of heavy fighting, artillery/mortar strikes, explosions,. etc...animals and birds may not be around.

In Conclusion:

Like anything, I am covering the basics in here. Finding and consuming water is probably the most important thing for your health and survival.

It is ALWAYS good to boil water before using or consuming it. And make sure you filter your water of large contaminants with a shirt or other straining device before boiling.

Stay frosty people.