Beat Summer with Calamba Water

 Water remains cool in earthen pot (calamba or caramba) even in hot weather.
Dr Abe V Rotor
Living with Nature School on Blog

Centerpiece of Calamba, Laguna, the birthplace of Dr Jose Rizal. The town is named after the traditional calamba (caramba Ilk) or claypot for storing drinking water. Lower photo, original calamba still being used in rural areas. Claypots are universal, They are among the first inventions of man.  They have many domestic uses from cooking, to storing grains and other goods.  Claypots are indispensable in primitive and traditional rituals and ceremonies.  

Notice that the earthen pot “perspires” because it is porous. Like sweat it keeps the body cool. Cooling is the after effect of evaporation. Fanning increases the rate of evaporation, so with cooling.

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Keep your savings from bottled mineral water and refrigeration in a safebox.  It's a fortune at the end of every month. And most important, you and your family are healthier.
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Why don't you keep a calamba of cool water at home? It will entice you to drink plenty of water everyday which is good to health. One thing good with calamba water is that it's just cool enough to be refreshing, unlike refrigerated water. Sometimes the water is too cool, its bad to teeth and stomach.

Notice too, calamba water has a tinge of sweetness. It is because green algae grow on the perspiring pores. Even under indirect sunlight, algae photosynthesize and deposit simple sugar on the pot which then leaks slowly into the water. This is something old folk enjoy - cool and sweet drinking water. Compare it with plastic flavored mineral water. Or chlorinated "Nawasa juice," as some people jokingly call water from the faucet.

Note the double function of the claypot placed on this window tunnel: ventilation helps cool the water in the claypot, while the claypot cools air that passes through (air-conditioning principle)
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There's one reminder though. Scrub off the algae - in and out - now and then to renew their growth and to keep the pores of the pot open. Don't allow crust to form. And if the calamba has long been in use, it's time to replace it with a new one. You may use the old one in the garden.

Enjoy calamba water. There is no brand in the market you can compare its unique quality. Move over mineral water. ~

Acknowledgement: Photos from Internet