As the city struggles to cope with a growing demand for water, it finds that its lakes and tanks are frothing and foaming and even catching fire. As a policy measure it considers making the reuse of treated wastewater mandatory for even small apartments. Even individual homes can make a difference and have atleast a greywater reuse system. Here is how.
Clean water flows into your home and it is used for bathing. The washing machine tumbles around clothes and uses up the clean water. You brush your teeth and wash your face and then there is used water. All this used water is called greywater. For a time, the water from your kitchen sink would also qualify as greywater. If it is just used for rinsing vegetables or dishes it still does. However, if there is grease on the dishes and utensils and food left over, it tends to be equated with black water i.e. water from the toilets.
All the greywater can be put to reuse. Here is how you approach the business of recycling greywater or used water. It becomes especially easy in a home being built if incorporated at the design stage.
Step 1: Collect the greywater in a small tank designed to hold two days’ collection at the most.
Step 2: Remember to use eco-friendly detergents, shampoos and soaps for washing clothes, bathing and for the dishes. Those that are based on soap berries and soap nuts are the best.
Step 3: Pump the water to the first in the set of plant filters as shown in the photograph. The first pumping is all you need to do; the rest of the flow is by gravity. A small . pump is good enough and will be used for about 10 minutes a day.
Step 4: In each of the ferro-cement or HDPE filters place cat-tails or papyrus reeds. They need no soil within and will flourish in the greywater, growing to a height of 8 ft. Keep trimming the plants and the roots every two months.
Step 5: In the last but one filter unit, use a nice gravel and charcoal filter to clean the water further.
The treated greywater is now ready to use for your plants or for flushing the toilets or for cleaning the front of the house.
Step 6: If you can place the filtering system on the terrace this will be great for your terrace garden. Also, gravity will help take the water to the toilet flushing system below.
Step 7: Remember to keep a tap to be able to dilute the greywater if it smells. Remember to use the system daily; else it may choke up due to a phenomenon called bio-fouling.
Step 8: Keep the system in a well aired and sunlit space. A roof terrace is best.
Add good micro-organism to the greywater system in the first storage tank and in the filters to keep the water from smelling.
In conjunction with rainwater harvesting this will make your house less dependent on city infrastructure systems. By not sending polluted water you have prevented the lakes from frothing and catching fire. Your kitchen garden will love the greywater and give you excellent vegetables.
Have a good time in saving water for the city and for yourself. This is water wisdom.
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