Grey water recycling a must

Approximately 50-70% of the water used in your house results in grey water generation   | Photo Credit: Getty Images/iStock

Grey water recycling is a must for a water-starved country like India, says Nidhi Adlakha

While we are all washing our hands regularly to stay safe from the coronavirus pandemic, we cannot afford to take water for granted by leaving taps on for the 20-second cleansing routine. And since you are now spending a lot more time indoors, how about looking at setting up a grey water system at home?
Approximately 50-70% of the water used in your house results in grey water generation and not even 5% of this is recycled in urban households. This water is suitable for in-situ recycling using simple, low-cost technologies, and it is rather unfortunate that the concept is not commonplace in a water-starved country like India.
With World Water Day being observed tomorrow, and a harsh summer upon us, it’s time we look at not just using water judiciously, but also recycling what we can. Dr. P.Venkateswaran, Deputy General Manager — Operations & Maintenance, at Sri City in Andhra Pradesh, says that traditional in-built practices like landscaping with grey water and rainwater harvesting have diminished due to rapid urbanisation and the commercialisation of land. “Scientists and technocrats are working hard to find alternative ways to source fresh water, like desalination, cloud precipitation technologies, etc. But these advanced technologies are resulting in making water more expensive, artificial and unaffordable for the common man. So when we have simple, reliable, eco-friendly and cost-effective methods like recycling, why should we opt for costly technologies?”

Rising awareness

The Chennai Metro Water Supply and Sewerage Board is championing the use of treated water (grey and black) for supply to industries, thereby reducing the pressure on freshwater demand, says Venkateswaran. Thermal power plants and industries like Chennai Petrochemical Ltd., Madras Fertilizers Ltd. and Madras Petrochemicals Ltd. are already using treated sewage for industrial purposes. “Residential apartments are using reclaimed water for flushing and landscaping applications due to a statutory compulsion, but the availability of open space for disposal is a major constraint,” he says.

To the point

• In his 2005 book, Self Reliance in Water, Chennai-based environmentalist Indukanth Ragade breaks down the recycling process. He classifies used water into three categories: sewage (black water), kitchen outflow and bath water (grey water).
• ‘Good building practice requires that these three streams of water be taken out of our homes into three different pipelines,’ he writes, and elaborates on ways to treat wastewater using soil and plants, with installation and maintenance tips, and ways to integrate rainwater harvesting and grey water systems.
• The author can be contacted at isragade@yahoo.com

Venkateswaran explains that if grey water is utilised at source, additional costs of treatment, disposal, etc. can be avoided. “India’s urban areas generate 61,948 million litres (MLD) of sewage a day, of which about 35% is collected and treated in sewage treatment plants. In Chennai, 1,200 MLD of water is utilised every day, a minimum of 600 MLD of grey water is generated, which gets microbially contaminated after mixing with black water.”
Going by these numbers, it is evident that there is immense scope and need to recycle grey water. Luckily, there has been a lot of awareness of late, especially in urban areas, says Abhijit Sathe, who founded JalSevak Solutions (jalsevak.in) in 2016. The Navi Mumbai-based start-up was founded with the objective of providing compact, onsite greywater recycling solutions to residential customers. “We perform filtration using dual stage fabric filters and chemical treatment through a controlled dosage of chlorine. The system is low-maintenance; only the periodic cleaning of filters and refilling of chemicals in the chamber is required,” says Sathe, who developed the solution with support from IIT Kanpur’s Startup Incubation and Innovation Centre.

(left) Abhijit Sathe of JalSevak Solutions and (right) an septic system being cleaned and unblocked   | Photo Credit:

Taking me through his water-saving system, he explains how an average Indian residing in an urban area utilises approximately 180 litres of water every day, of which 45-50 litres (25%) is spent on toilet flushing. “For a family of four, the total amount of grey water generated is approximately 400 litres per day. Using our solutions, this water can be recycled for gardening and toilet flushing, saving 400 litres of fresh water every day,” says Sathe, adding that a small family can potentially conserve 12,000 litres of fresh water every month.
Quoting the example of Kanpur’s Jai Narayan School, he explains that with the new recycling system, the school is saving approximately 3,000 litres of fresh water every day. “They are reusing laundry wastewater to flush toilets in the boys’ hostel. The school is thus saving 3,000 litres of groundwater which would otherwise be used in flushing.”

Cost matters

While awareness has increased, consumers are not open to installing costly solutions. “There is huge demand for cost-effective and compact solutions that require minimum re-plumbing,” says Sathe, who has installed recycling systems in Navi Mumbai, New Delhi, Coimbatore, Hyderabad and Bengaluru. For an individual house under construction, installing the solution will cost anywhere between ₹45,000 and ₹65,000. “The price includes the cost of filters, chemical chambers, storage tanks, pump and supporting controls, and plumbing. For an existing individual home, this cost can go up depending on the level of re-plumbing necessary.”
In the absence of automated solutions, people need to manually recycle grey water by using wastewater from the washing machine to wash toilets. “A few customers have also developed a primitive piping mechanism to send kitchen wastewater to their gardens. However, such systems do not function in the long run and suffer from lack of maintenance,” warns Sathe.

Keep in mind

• Do
• 1. Consult a professional to design and install the system
• 2. Segregate light and dark grey water
• 3. Install sub-surface or covered drains for irrigating landscape areas
• 4. Disinfect treated grey water to use for purposes other than for gardening/ landscaping
• 5. Ensure there is no stagnation of grey water and redirect the surplus to sewerage lines / ground water recharging.
• Don’t
• 1. Store untreated grey water for more than 24 hours
• 2. Discard concentrated liquids such as used oil and left-over food in grey water pipes.
• 3. Allow excess treated grey water to mix with any water body.

Highlighting the benefits at a commercial level, Eshwar N, Chief Marketing Officer at Casagrand, says the STPs (set up by Green Earth Systems) at their various projects in Chennai, Bengaluru and Coimbatore have worked to bring down water consumption. “Water from these plants is used to flush toilets and water landscaped areas. The average estimated water conserved [on a daily basis] is 25 litres per head, for flushing, and 1.5 litres per sq. ft for landscaping,” he says, “The approximate cost to set up a grey water treatment system for an apartment complex of 10 units is ₹3 lakh.”
Eshwar adds that while water recycling as a concept is widespread, there is limited knowledge on the collection and use of grey water. “With modern apartments using STPs integrated with grey water, awareness is gradually increasing.”

What you can do

What people need to do is incorporate recycling systems during construction. Venkateswaran of Sri City advises people to install a ‘dual plumbing’ mechanism to use grey water / STP treated water.

An aerial view of a water treatment tank  

Light grey water sources are bathrooms, showers, hand basins, laundry rinses and RO rejects, whereas dark grey water sources are dish washing, the first wash from the washing machine and kitchen sinks. “At an economical level, every citizen can divert the bathroom wastewater to a small sump followed by a root zone treatment and gravity sand filters. This method doesn’t require power, chemical, or maintenance. Post filtration, this water can be pumped and used for flushing toilets. A minimum of 2.5 sq. ft space per person is adequate,” he explains.

A complete grey (light + dark) water reusing system, including kitchen waste, requires an oil/ grease trap and a sedimentation facility in addition to the system. “A four member family can reuse 360 litres of water a day. An area of about 50-75 sq.ft. is required and the investment will range from ₹50,000 to ₹1.5 lakh, and will vary on a case-by-case basis. You can recover this amount in 2-3 years by saving on buying fresh water. Such a treatment facility can also be set up on an open terrace,” concludes Venkateswaran.          March 20, 2020 

Chennai Cutlery bank

Namma Ooru Foundation has a cutlery bank that people can take on rent for a nominal amount. “We have no idea about the amount of trash we generate at even a small birthday party,” says P Natarajan, the founder and CEO of the non-profit. The city-based voluntary-run outfit that works for environmental causes decided to do something about this. “It’s shocking to see the number of plastic-lined paper cups that are offered to a single guest at a wedding. One for the payasam , one for water, and if there’s a cold drink, one for that too,” he says. “More and more people have started using disposable cutlery at events over the past 10 to 15 years.”

Now that single-use cups have been banned, Natarajan says that people have the option of going in for bagasse or areca leaf plates. “Although disposable, they are only adding to the trash we generate,” he adds. Namma Ooru Foundation’s cutlery bank has 200 sets of stainless steel plates, tumblers, small bowls, and spoons. “People can make use of them for small events such as birthday parties or engagement functions for say 50 to 100 people,” explains Natarajan.

Natarajan says that he often gets questions about the amount of water it takes to wash stainless steel cutlery. “But I tell them that it is nothing when compared to the water used in the manufacture of cutlery from other disposable material,” he says, adding, “Think of the resources used in their transport, not to mention the damage they cause to our environment.” For details, call 8754483679 .

Improve vocal intensity

Singing priest,’ Fr. (Dr) Paul Poovathingal explains the techniques

Vocology, the science and practice of voice rehabilitation, may be in a state of infancy in India but well developed and practised abroad. The Chetana National Institute of Vocology in Thrissur is one of the first of its kind and its director is Fr (Dr) Paul Poovathingal. The first Christian priest to obtain Ph.D. in Carnatic music from the University of Madras, Fr. Paul had his lessons in vocology under Prof Jeanne Goffi of the University of Columbia and Prof. Ingo R Titze, the director of the National Centre for Voice and Speech, Denver, the U.S.

Prof. Titze, acclaimed as a pioneer in the field, earned a diploma from the University of Iowa, Colorado. Back home in 2006, he founded the institute and opened a weekly clinic, where people with varied voice problems queue up to be treated, sans any surgery or medicines.

And the voice disorders apart from puberphonia, include those caused by vocal cord nodules, vocal cord paralysis, insufficient phonetory gap, ‘Spasmodic Dysphonia,’ muscle tension Dysphonia and vocal cord cancer as well as stammering. Paul ascribes all these to unscientific voice production.

Interestingly, Paul’s treatment is a blend of both Indian and western techniques. Voice is the manifestation of breath and once exercises for correct breathing is practised almost all problems can be remedied, he holds. Lung pressure therefore is of paramount importance for vocal intensity and stamina. This is judged by measuring the Maximum Phonation Duration (MPD). After holding the breath for some time, duration of exhale is checked using a stop-watch. While fifteen seconds is ideal, for singers, it has to be above twenty seconds.

Pranayama practised regularly for 15 minutes and voice warming up exercises for 12-20 minutes early in the morning on empty stomach improved MPD considerably. Pranayama of four kinds are insisted — Anuloma-viloma (alternate nostril breathing), Bastrika (bellow’s breath), Seethali (cooling breath) and Ujjayi (victorious).

Opening of the mouth fully several times helps the patient to unlock the Tempro Mandibular Joint (TMJ) of the jaw thereby reducing the tension in the chin muscles. The movements of the tongue are rendered effortless with exercises.

Production of the sound ‘shick’ helps to activate the abdominal muscles, the very origin of voice. And when done with rendering the vowels, it can help correct pronunciation as well. Artificial yawning creates more space in the pharynx which improves the quality of voice through resonance. Paul adds that Puberphonia is essentially psychological. Even after attaining the age of puberty, the patient’s subconscious mind retains the voice of his mother or women in the family and he imitates the same. This is a fall out of the falsetto muscles getting connected to the brain. The treatment involves reconditioning the vocal muscles through exercises and finally connecting them to the brain, which result in the production of typical matured voice.

Stammering is a phobia, which can be hereditary as well. Paul’s advice is to stop speaking and take a quick breath. This is repeated many times.

The patient is made to read a passage for 15 minutes so that the eye sight, syllables and the respiratory muscles get synchronised. The voice of a patient affected by Spasmodic Dysphonia lacks clarity and intensity. This happens when the nerves from the brain connected to the vocal cords are damaged. It is a neuro-vocal problem.

Paul is in constant touch with speech pathologists across the globe and has been introducing the latest breathing exercises like Lax Vox Voice Therapy (LVVT), which is the discovery of Dr. Marketta Sihvo of Finland, an acclaimed voice therapist. This involves singing or speaking through a straw so that the vocal cords can vibrate more freely. The straw phonation exercise is also the remedy for Semi-Occluded Voice Track (SOVT), arising from a narrow vocal track.

The clinic at Chetana is well equipped with modern gadgets. Only a few cases need more sittings whereas feedback from most of the patients, who exercise regularly are all praise for the ‘priest with a healing touch.’ The institute organises annual vocology workshops that are attended by voice professionals from many States.

Many are the ENT doctors who refer cases to Chetana as they have realised that surgery is ineffective. Veteran musicians have directed singers for treatment by Paul. Incidentally, Fr Paul is also a disciple of K.J. Yesudas in Carnatic music. Popularly known as the ‘Singing Priest,’ he presented concerts at the Rashtrapati Bhavan when A.P.J. Abdul Kalam was the President and also for M.S. Subhalakshmi in Chennai when he was a student of University of Madras.

Interestingly, the students of Chetana Music College, of which Paul is the founder-principal, follow the syllabus of his alma mater. A globe-trotting musician, he cured a voice patient in Milan, Italy during the last tour.

soapnut intiative to save water bodies

Citizens take a step back to save Bengaluru Bellandur lake

Several residents of Bellandur, famous for frothing waters, now use soapnut in place of factory chemicals

Seema Sharma, a Bellandur resident, buys soapnut and makes her own hair wash, laundry detergent and dish washer liquid. “There was awareness among certain groups earlier, but news of frothing lakes has spurred adoption. I use raw soapnut and soak or boil it for use. But there are also many ready-to-use alternatives available in Bengaluru,” she said.

Nut for all reasons

The freelance corporate trainer has been using only soapnut for a year to wash vessels, for mopping, laundry, and as a hair wash.

Her method is to soak around 50 nuts in five cups of water for 48 hours. The nuts turn soft and are crushed by hand. The solution with bioenzymes is used to clean vessels and in the washroom, she said.

Ms. Vishak buys 5 kg of the nut at ₹150 per kilo and uses it for a month-and-a half. The rise of alternatives has been steady. Bindhu Balasubramanian, founder, Go Rustic, which offers both raw and readymade products says, “From around 20 kg per month a year ago, the sale of soapnut is now 50 kg. But many people like readymade products. So we make it with a liquid-base,” she said.

Companies that offer ready-to-use alternatives, such as Rajendra Hegde’s Biological Research Innovation Centre and Solutions, are selling them in Bengaluru, Chennai, Tiruchi, Coimbatore, Kochi, Mumbai, Gurugram and New Delhi.

Ramprasad V., co-founder, Friends of Lakes, said that it was not possible to pinpoint the cause of the frothing, but the switch to natural chemicals could reduce nutrient content in water. “But people around Bellandur alone doing it will not help. It has to start from the beginning of the lake series and 80% of people must change,” he said.

Bribezillas

SREERUPA CHOWDHURY ALWAYS wanted to be Atticus Finch from To Kill A Mockingbird—taking up cases for those who lacked the ability and knowhow. Her crusade began when she was preparing to attend an anti-corruption conference in Brazil in 2012 and the police officers who came for the verification process for her passport harassed her for a bribe. “If it can happen to me, what about the others, who are ignorant of their basic rights?” she thought. Similarly, Monalisa’s ordeal of constantly having to cough up bribes to traffic cops set her ideals in motion. Taking a cue from the online platform ipaythebribe.com, meant primarily for reporting bribes, the lawyer duo decided to help victims by offering them legal aid. Sreerupa and Monalisa partnered with the website to reach out to victims who were looking for legal help or assistance in taking incidents up at an institutional level. And so, in April 2015, Bribe Hackers was born. The only rule their platform has imposed on users is that they must identify themselves—anonymous complaints are not encouraged. “If there is an enquiry, the person will have to depose. We tell our users that we are there to draft the complaint and handhold them through the process, assuring them of whistleblower protection,” says Sreerupa. So far, they have drafted 20 complaints to the Lok Ayukta and 15 against PSUs to the Vigilance Commission. Their success has generated not just results in terms of an idealistic victory, but their user base also continues to expand. Though Sreerupa invested $30,000 earned as a grant from the World Justice Project in Washington towards Bribe Hackers, sustainability is a problem. “Since people have already had to cough up bribes for getting things done, obviously they wouldn’t like to shell out extra for redressal. The biggest challenge is sustainability. There has to be an ecosystem to support it. Institutional help and support from the government would be necessary for running it,” she says