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Our need for water is an essential part of survival. The human body loses 2-3 litres (4-6 pints) a day. In a survival situation, before we go looking for water, let's learn how to retain fluids in our body.

Avoid exertion, take lots of rest and, (the Department of Health love this) smokers; don't smoke! Keep cool and stay in the shade. If avoidable, don't lie on hot ground or heated surfaces. If you need to eat, then ration them, digestion uses up fluids, increase dehydration. Fats are hard to digest. Drinkers, never drink alcohol. This takes fluid from vital organs to break down.

Let's now look for water! In the valleys, look in the valley bottoms'. Water naturally drains here. If you are unable to find a stream or pool, find places where there are patches of green vegetation and dig there. Try digging in gullies and dry stream beds. If you are up in the mountains, look inside crevices. A word of caution, be very suspicious of any pool with no green vegetation growing around it (or where there are animal bones); for they might be poisoned or polluted. Always boil water taken from pools. In the desert, if you encounter any lakes with no outlets, then their water must be distilled for they are salt lakes.

Use can anything to catch the dew or rainwater. When walking through vegetation, tie some clothing to your ankles, for they'll catch water. These can be sucked or wrung out for water.

Animals require water regularly. Look for grazing animals, they're usually never far from a water source. Converging game trails often lead to water; follow them downhill. However never follow the trails of meat eaters; they get moisture from their prey. Certainly not a good indicator for finding water. Bees and ants are dependant on water. Their trails usually lead to a reservoir of trapped water. Besides looking for signs that will lead us to a water source, with a little knowledge, we can create ways to get water.

The first method is what we call a process of condensation. Trees draw water from a water table 50ft below the ground. But we can extract that source through its leaves. Tie a plastic bag around a healthy, leafy branch (of course). Evaporation will produce condensation in the bag.

A second method of getting water is through what we call a solar still. Dig a hole, 18-20in deep, place a collection can or vessel in the centre, cover the hole with a sheet of plastic formed into the can. You can secure the outer rim with some stones, and a smaller one in the middle of

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