The Times of India 06.05.2013
Grey water treatment can help reuse 60% used water
with fish comes from his bathroom. At his Kothrud row house, Athavale
has a tank to store the grey water which a pump operated by a bicycle
cleans. “It proved to be a great investment. Besides saving on the water
requirement, I have the satisfaction of giving back to nature. The fish
are a reassurance of the quality of water,” he said.
Grey
water, which comes out of kitchen sinks, showers and washing machines,
can be filtered and stored for non-potable uses. For a city grappling
with uneven water distribution, recycling grey water can be a workable
solution. Nearly 60% of the used water can be safely reused by the same
homes and industries for watering the garden, flushing and even car and
floor washing, said experts. It would conserve the filtered and treated
water supplied by the Pune Municipal Corporation and ensure more
equitable supply, they added.
Of the 700 million litres
water supplied by the civic body every day, more than half is used for
purposes other than drinking, and eventually flows down the drain to mix
with sewage (black water). A little initial investment can help recover
90% of used water which can be recycled to meet more than 75% of our
daily water needs, conservationists said.
Sandeep Joshi, environment technologist and founder of Shrishti Eco-Research Institute
(SERI), said it is a simple way of reducing water bills and helping the
environment. “Any water which is free of faecal content can and should
be reused,” he said. The institute is working towards a cleaner
environment with the help of natural technologies to treat waste.
According to Joshi, installing a grey-water treatment system requires
two tanks, one to store the grey and the other to treat it, and a small
filter for the treatment. “Since you are not treating the water to make
it fit for drinking, the investment is not heavy, yet it proves
cost-effective in the long run,” he added.
Harish Joshi,
managing director or a Pune-based packaging solutions company, installed
such a system in 2007 in his factory to recycle close to 3,000 litres
of water coming out of the bathrooms and kitchen every day. He has
recommended it to all the small and mid-sized plants.
“What was
appealing was that there is hardly any recurring cost or operational
expenses. It does not require electricity. It has helped plants grow
which add to the aesthetics of my factory. We save money since we do not
have to call for water tankers,” he said. Joshi also propagates the
idea among those he knows in the industrial sector.
The idea is
also making some headway with the Pune Municipal Corporation. Plans are
to introduce grey water recycling system in old and new constructions
across the city. Work on appointment of consultants and setting up of
pilot projects in the detailed project report (DPR) are on.
The
proposal suggesting recycling of grey water was approved by the general
body (GB) when it okayed the development plan (DP) for old city areas a
few months ago. “Appointment of consultants has already begun. We can
hope for some pilot projects by June,” said Congress corporator Aba
Bagul, who had first proposed grey water recycling in the DP.
The basic data about grey water system is ready. The civic body has
divided the city into 23 basins to lay and connect storm-water pipelines
which are used only in the monsoon and otherwise remain dry and are
connected to the nearest river or nullah.
“The PMC should lay
separate pipelines in housing societies to collect grey water and
connect these lines to storm-water drains. This water should be treated
and released in the river or canal for irrigation purpose. The treatment
will not cost much as compared to the sewage treatment and agriculture
will get good quality water,” states the proposal approved by the
general body.
“The city must start using grey water. More
awareness campaigns will help spread the word,” Bagul added. According
to him, the civic body should make it mandatory for new constructions to
have a separate system to collect grey water.
Experts said it
is more feasible to introduce a system for collecting and treating grey
water for reuse during the design phase itself. Suneel Joshi, state head
of Jal Biradri, said people do not understand the value of clean water.
“In our country, water is worshipped as god. People in the city must be
sensitive about it, rather than follow a use-and-throw policy. Pune has
reservoirs, but the problem of unequal distribution of water remains.
The civic body has not popularised it, nor have the architects thought
of incorporating it in their designs,” he said.