Suggest one precaution before using water after floods.
Suggest one precaution before using water after floods.
Use boiled and filtered (or chlorinated/disinfected) water for drinking, since flood water is commonly contaminated and can spread water-borne diseases.
Marking Scheme
- 11 mark: Correctly stating 'use boiled and filtered/chlorinated/disinfected water' or an equivalent accepted precaution about water safety after floods.
Hint
Look at the source passage's line about drinking water specifically.
Quick Oral Answer
Always boil and filter (or chlorinate) water before drinking it after a flood, since flood water is usually contaminated.
Analysis & Explanation
This 1-mark VSA tests whether the student can extract a specific fact from the flood-safety source passage.
Concept
- Flood water mixes with sewage, dead animals and pollutants, making it a major vector for water-borne diseases (cholera, typhoid, diarrhoea).
- Boiling and filtering (or otherwise disinfecting, e.g., with chlorine tablets) drinking water is the critical post-flood precaution.
Common mistakes
- Over-answering: since it asks for only 'one precaution', writing multiple points wastes time without extra credit.
- Giving a non-water precaution (e.g., about food or electricity) earns no mark, even if factually correct and present in the passage.
Common Mistakes
- 1Confusing this with a food-safety precaution (e.g., 'eat covered food') instead of a water-specific one.
- 2Giving a vague answer like 'drink clean water' without specifying the method (boiling/filtering/chlorinating) that the source explicitly names.
- 3Writing more than one precaution for a 1-mark question, wasting exam time.
Interesting Facts
Contaminated water after floods is one of the leading causes of post-disaster disease outbreaks, particularly cholera and diarrhoeal illnesses, in flood-affected regions of India.
Simple boiling of water for at least one minute kills most disease-causing pathogens, making it one of the most accessible flood-safety measures for households.
Chlorine tablets and bleaching powder, also mentioned in NDMA guidelines, are commonly distributed by relief agencies to disinfect both water and surroundings after floods.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Why is flood water considered unsafe even after the flood recedes?
Flood water often mixes with sewage, chemicals, and dead organic matter, contaminating both surface and shallow groundwater sources, so water can remain unsafe even after visible flooding subsides.
What are alternatives to boiling for disinfecting water?
Filtering combined with chlorination (chlorine tablets/drops) or use of bleaching powder in small, safe quantities are common alternatives recommended in disaster management guidelines.