Off-Road Travel, Brush Clearance, and Water Safety
Long-distance camping trips are relatively common these days in Africa. Unfortunately, one of the issues that arises is concern about the health risks associated with questionable water sources. The technology is such that there are now many options besides carrying heavy supplies of water wherever you go.
Very often the water sources are highly suspect and one hears terrible stories about waterborne infections and diseases. If a “sophisticated” country like South Africa cannot even supply high-quality drinking water to all of its inhabitants, what chance does the African traveler have of finding it elsewhere on the continent?
problems to expect
Fecal matter infection, also known as E.coli, is common even in some municipal supplies. A variety of other forms of bacteria, algae and specifically blue-green algae is an indicator of THMs or naturally occurring carcinogens, fluoride, arsenic and nitrates.
Bacteria are normally disinfected by exposure to one of 3 methods: chlorine, UV or ozone, the latter being the latest technology that is now compact enough to be functional for the safari community.
The best options for pure water / healthy water. Pros and cons
Right at the top of the selection should be reverse osmosis, which supplies the purest form of water for the traveler. Mobile systems consist of units custom designed to fit in a bag, specialized systems that fit in an aluminum case, and deluxe systems in the form of a reverse osmosis unit built into a jerry can.
Custom Engineered Systems – Bag/Component Type
It contains all the elements of a domestic unit, namely, sediment filter, carbon filters, reverse osmosis membrane with a capacity of 200 gallons per day, taste and odor filter and, optionally, UV / ozonation. Ideally, you should be supplied with a battery-powered booster pump. These ‘bag’ units are supplied with sealed tubular filters which have a small footprint and do not take up much space. The booster is to guarantee the amount of water production and has nothing to do with the outlet pressure.
An AC/DC converter will need to be purchased to power the pump from a battery source. Don’t let anyone tell you that you need the UV option for a reverse osmosis system! Why? Well, it is. Simple, the RO membrane stops bacteria before they get out into the product water line although the bacteria will damage the membrane in the process. First; Sacrificing membranes is easier and cheaper than buying a UV system. Secondly; no RO supplier will guarantee a system that draws water from a system with a bacterial handicap. Not one! Also, your filters are NEVER covered by a warranty anyway.
Reverse Osmosis System in a Case Great, well designed, easier to store but very heavy to carry. Messy when opened, pain to pack everyday and expensive to run at R7700.00 top
Jerry Can System – 6 Stage Reverse Osmosis System Great idea has all the elements including UV plus a filter that can be put in a bucket of water from the fountain and pumped into the unsuitable 2 liter tank or directly into the tank in the van. One downside is that it doesn’t fit a standard Jerry Can tie-down bracket on the Landrover etc. Yeah, that’s a bit silly. Oops I almost forgot, very expensive too R6370.00
So what are the alternatives you may ask? pretty simple really…
Simplest: Use Clorox tablets available at any backpacking store, but this only kills the bugs and does nothing for the rest of the contaminants. The same goes for boiling water: it still looks and tastes unpleasant.
Best practice: Add a simple filtration system that expels water under pressure and is bacteria-free but small enough to fit in most tight spaces. This system would consist of a 2 bar pump, 3 stage modified under the counter water filter system, some parts and a UV light.
From your existing water tank, a T-piece is inserted into the line and splits into the filter system and UV component. The 2 bar pump pushes pressurized water to another T-piece which feeds the onboard water tank and drinking taps. The water level in the tank is controlled by a simple mechanical float switch that shuts off the flow which in turn activates a high pressure switch and shuts off the pump. The end product is clean, good-tasting, bacteria-free water.
Maintenance is cheap, the outlay is low and the results are excellent. Contact me for personal assistance or additional information on any of these systems.
