With the provision of six percolation pits and water from the bathrooms being recycled, not a drop of water is wasted at this apartment in Kottur. This project, initiated by the vice-president of the Federation of Kottur Welfare Association N.V. Ranganayakalu, was implemented in 2005.
“We have not been getting Metrowater supply for quite sometime now, but we are not bothered. Unlike in the neighbouring areas, the ground water level here is very good. We use it for consumption purpose too. The percolation pits have filters that help purify water,” he says. The advantage of the system is that it requires little maintenance.
“We get it cleaned only once in two or three years. It is quite easy to implement as well. I have been trying hard to spread this message to all. As a model, I started it at my own apartment.”
The design which enables recycling of bathroom water was created by Ranganayakalu himself. “We got three underground tanks created. The water from the various bathrooms are made to flow together through a channelling mechanism. After the sediments settle down, the water is directed to another tank through a pipe. This has a filter bed and the other impurities are removed. Then, it is sent to the third tank for further filtration. After this dual cleaning process, water is sent to the overhead tank and reused in bathrooms and for gardening as well,” he says.
The tanks need to be cleaned once a year as they collect a lot of sediments. “Cleaning the system is extremely important; otherwise, water will just stagnate,” adds Ranaganayakalu.
He is also ready to offer help to those wanting to set up similar systems at their apartments. He can be reached at 99410 07064
