Some people think that rain is clear and transparent, and snow is white and spotless, so rain and snow are very clean and can be consumed directly.

So, can rain and snow be consumed directly?

However, they are not clean and cannot be consumed directly.

There is always water vapor in the air. The sources of these water vapor include the sea, lakes, rivers, reservoirs, wetlands, and clothes that have not been dried. When they are exposed to sunlight, the water in them evaporates, becoming water vapor, which then floats in the air.

When water vapor condenses to a certain level, the buoyancy of the gas cannot bear it, and it will fall to the ground, forming rain. During its journey to the ground, rain carries many ‘friends’, such as smoke particles from factory emissions, dust in the air, and even bacteria from the air, taking advantage of the opportunity to mix in. Therefore, when rain, tired and dirty, falls to the ground, it is no longer clean.

Therefore, precipitation cannot be drunk directly. However, after precipitation seeps into the ground, it has to pass through a thick layer of fine sand, filtering out dust and bacteria, becoming cleaner. After such treatment, the precipitation stored underground becomes surface water. River water and mountain spring water are surface water, which is edible.

After the falling snow in winter, the ground is covered in a snowy landscape, which is magnificent.

As the saying goes, ‘A timely snow promises a bountiful harvest.’ Everyone looks forward to snowy days, thinking that snow is the purest and cleanest thing in the world, as it can kill many bacteria that cannot withstand low temperatures. However, snow is not clean either. When snow is placed in a clean container and allowed to melt, many fine dust particles can be seen at the bottom of the container. Therefore, like precipitation, snow is not suitable for immediate consumption.