Sustainable Use of Greywater

Abstract

The shortage of fresh water is one of the major issues in different parts of India which require our attention for conservation of sustainable water. The natural resources of potable water are becoming insufficient to satisfy day to day demand. Peoples are searching solutions in different ways to get out of this terrible situation. The treatment and reuse of gray water is one of the promising step for preservation of water. Gray water is waste water from showers, bathroom, sink, kitchen, washing machine, laundry except toilet water. It can be treated by physical, chemical, biological and natural methods or can use combination of these methods. Gray water can be reused for toilet flushing, garden and plant irrigation, agricultural irrigation, floor washing, car washing, ground recharging etc. after a suitable treatment. A statistical analysis of grey water laboratory test before treatment of water and after treatment of grey water is shown in this paper. The analysis shows that treated water from collected gray water in residential buildings is sufficient to satisfy the water demand in places such as toilet flushing, house cleaning and garden irrigation by up to 35% of total domestic demand. In case of mixed gray water, we can obtained excess 20%–25% of treated water which can be used for ground recharging, garden irrigation or some other non-potable purposes. The study helps to disclose that it is likely to save a lot of fresh water on a daily basis by recycling and reusing treated gray water.