Mains water can stop for many reasons: a burst main, a long power cut that stops the pumps, a flood, or contamination that makes it unsafe to drink. Usually it's back within hours. If it isn't, the main things to manage are drinking water, the toilet and hygiene.
How much water you need
Every one of the 24 national guides we compiled lists stored drinking water. The amounts vary:
| Guide | Amount |
|---|---|
| Germany, France | 2 L per person per day |
| Sweden, Netherlands, UK | 3 L per person per day |
| Slovakia | 3 to 5 L per person per day |
| Finland | at least 5 L of bottled water per person |
Those figures are mostly for drinking and cooking. Washing and flushing take far more. Finland's 72 hours campaign says one or two buckets per person per day is usually enough to cover drinking, cooking and personal hygiene. Our post on how much water to store shows how to work out your household's total.
When a cut is announced
- Fill what you can, now. Five guides (Germany, Sweden, Finland, Czechia, Slovakia) list empty containers with lids for exactly this moment. Fill bottles, jerrycans, pans and the bath. Bath water is for flushing and washing, not drinking.
- Check your water company's website or the radio for how long the cut will last and where water will be handed out.
- Keep lidded containers ready to collect water. Finland says backup water distribution is usually organised for cuts lasting more than 24 hours. Sweden says your municipality can set up public water tanks. Either way, you carry the water home.
- Check on neighbours. Finland asks you to see whether anyone nearby needs help carrying water.
Sweden and Slovakia add a useful trick: keep some water in plastic bottles in the freezer. They act as ice packs in a power cut, and you can drink them once they thaw. Don't fill them to the top, or they may split.
If the water is declared unsafe
Sometimes water still comes out of the tap but isn't safe to drink. Follow your water company's instructions exactly: they may say to boil it, or not to use it at all.
- Boiling. Bring the water to a full, rolling boil for one minute, then let it cool. Use it for drinking, cooking, brushing teeth and preparing food.
- Purification tablets. Six guides (France, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovenia, Romania) list them as a last resort. They deal with most germs but not with chemicals or salt.
- Stop others using it by mistake. Finland suggests taping a warning note over the tap.
- Once it's safe again, Finland advises cleaning anything that held the contaminated water, such as the coffee machine and water containers.
The toilet
No water pressure means no flushing. Finland notes that a toilet can be flushed only once from the water left in the cistern. After that you have three options:
- Flush with a bucket of bath or washing-up water, if the drains are working and you have water to spare.
- Line the bowl with a bag. Sweden, Finland and Poland all describe this. Put a strong bin bag in the toilet bowl or in a bucket, and cover each use with sawdust, compost litter or cat litter to control the smell. Sweden suggests keeping urine and faeces apart where you can, to reduce odour: you can still urinate into the unflushed toilet.
- Use a camping toilet or a bucket with a lid. Germany, Sweden and Poland list one.
Seal used bags and keep them outside or somewhere cool. Your municipality will tell you how to dispose of them. Finland treats them as mixed waste.
Staying clean on very little water
When every litre counts, keep it for drinking. Fifteen guides list hand sanitiser and disinfectant, and fourteen list toilet paper and wet wipes, so you can stay clean without washing. Poland and Finland both suggest wet wipes and sanitiser when there's no running water. Wash hands over a bowl, and reuse the water for flushing.
- Always clean your hands after the toilet and before handling food.
- Use paper plates or camping ware to save washing up.
- Keep a strong roll of bin bags for rubbish and the toilet.
Prepare before it happens
Store a few days' drinking water, keep two or three empty containers with lids, and put a roll of strong bags and a pack of wipes next to them. Find your water company's website and note its number on paper. Then a water cut is just a few awkward days. Our checklist sizes the water stock for your household.