Train travels have always
excited me for the very element of surprise. One can never imagine what you can
come across on these journeys. In the good old days when there wasn’t enough
facility available to fly to places in short durations, these wagons used to
carry people of sorts - all embarking on their own trips, yet connecting on the
journey.
For me one such journey was
really memorable. While boarding the train from New Delhi, an old lady occupied
the berth next to mine. While the train started pulling out of the station, we
greeted each other and the conversation started. At her age, it was amazing to
find out that she is a solo traveller who has covered high altitude peaks in
the Himalayas like Mount Kailash, Om Parvat and likes all by herself including
other geographies of India – like the rainwater forests in Assam. For a
73-year-old, one would imagine the definition of the ultimate life is one of
peace and comfort. Prabha Gogate however, is an ardent traveller and a very
enthusiastic person. But what was more interesting that I found later in our
conversation was that while many only talk about it, how sincerely conscious
she was about leading her life in a healthy and sustainable manner, not only
for herself, but for the community as well.
India is facing a water
crisis and by 2025 it is estimated that India's population will be suffering
from severe water scarcity. When the whole world is posting updates on Facebook
and sharing articles on how to save water, Prabha is one of those few who have
been practicing better utilization of water, and saving it for over a decade
now. She prefers to recycle water. She shared with me how she has been making
use of Grey water treatment in her colony.
Greywater is commonly defined as wastewater generated from bathroom, laundry and kitchen. Greywater treatment process varies from simple devices that divert greywater for direct application such as irrigation to complex systems involving sedimentation tanks, filters, bioreactors, pumps and disinfection systems. While rainwater harvesting and Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM) are water conservation measures, reuse of water is an important undeveloped technology. Reuse of water is important because it restricts water demand and reduces stress on treatment system. Specifically, greywater recycle augments existing water use efficiency.
The amount and quality of greywater
will in part determine how it can be reused. Irrigation and toilet flushing are
two common uses, but nearly any non-contact use is a possibility. Toilet
flushing can be done either by direct bucketing or by pumping treated greywater
to an overhead tank connected by suitable piping to the toilets. Floor
cleaning, gardening, car washing and construction are some other areas where
this water can be used judiciously.
The treated greywater can also be used
for irrigating agricultural crops and turfs and for maintaining decorative
fountains or landscape impoundments. Agricultural irrigation using greywater to
support crop production is a well-established practice in arid and semiarid
regions. This is the area where Prabha concentrated her efforts.
She started a recycling
project in her Salunke Vihar building, where she collects kitchen wastewater
from eight flats, accumulating the water into a 500-litre capacity tank in the
building's backyard. She has combined the pipes of eight households together,
so that the kitchen waste collects directly into the tank. The water is then
treated with a chemical, which acts as a strong clearing agent and kills the
water-borne germs effectively. One pack of the chemical every three months is
enough for her tank's capacity.
The processed water is then
fed to varieties of plants maintained by Gogate in her garden - from Arabian
banana and chikoo trees to magnificent floras like the jeevanjot, hibiscus,
snow tub, madhavi champa and night-flowering jasmines. It was her love for
plants and gardening that moved her to begin the project in the first place.
The water is treated properly, so it doesn't even produce bad odour.
But paths of altruism are
never smooth and success stories are incomplete without difficulties. Some of
her neighbours , she says, were unsupportive and often mocked her initiative. They
complained about foul smell, mosquitoes and charged her for using clean water
for the plants. They completely refused to believe that she recycled the
kitchen waste generated from their households. Nevertheless, Gogate handled the
difficulties and the criticisms coming her way with patience and gentleness. Her
hard work eventually found appreciation though. Many people visit her every
morning for tulsi leaves or some fruits and she never lets them down.
In water scarce developing countries,
greywater reuse in schools, hospitals and government institutions is proving to
be an essential alternate water resource to fresh ground, surface or rainwater supplies.
