Sunday is World Water Day – are you prepared for water supply disruptions?
Sunday 22 March 2026 is World Water Day. Espoo Region Environmental Health Services wants to highlight the importance of preparedness and encourage everyone to take concrete steps to improve their preparedness. Households should be able to survive on their own for at least 72 hours in the event of an emergency or disruption.
A water supply disruption may be caused by a power outage or a pipe burst, for example. Usually disruptions do not last long, but in the event of an extensive problem, running water may be cut off for a long time. It is important to prepare for these situations.
Be prepared for water supply disruptions
Here are some tips on how to prepare for water supply disruptions:
- Make sure you have lidded containers in which you can store drinking water. A person needs about two litres of water per day. You should also have some water for cooking and personal hygiene.
- Keep water stored in your own containers in a cool place. If water has been sitting at room temperature for more than a day, you should not drink it.
- Buy bottled water from the store well in advance for storage. In case of an emergency, stores quickly run out of bottled water. Check the best before date and storage instructions on the bottle.
- Remember that you can only flush the toilet once during a water supply disruption. You can then place a plastic bag inside the toilet bowl and use it as your toilet.
- Follow official announcements issued by authorities and your local water supplier. Make sure you have batteries and a radio so that you get information if there are problems in telecommunications networks.
Get information about contaminated water through the 112 Suomi app
We recommended that you download the Emergency Response Centre’s 112 Suomi mobile app if you do not already have it. The app provides quick information, for example, when there is a boil-water advisory in your area, i.e. tap water must be boiled before use due to contamination.
The app also has other benefits. When you make an emergency call through the app, your location information is automatically transmitted to the emergency response centre, which speeds up the processing of emergency calls. In the app’s Services tab, you can find non-emergency telephone numbers.