Integrated Approach towards Grey Water Management Treatment and Reuse

India is facing a water crisis and by 2025 it is estimated that India's population will be suffering from severe water scarcity. With increased population growth and development, there is a need to critically look at alternative approaches to ensure water availability. These alternative resources include rainwater and bulk of water used in household will emerge as grey water and contain some minerals, organic waste materials dissolved and suspended in it. The main goal of this paper is to propose some efficient, cheap and sustainable grey water treatment systems for households. The treated grey water can be used for non-potable use purposes such as irrigation, toilet flushing, car washing and dust control as well as to recharge the aquifers. The imbalance between water demand and supply has become a significant concern of human life as demand is increasing exponentially. So implementation of alternative water supply options has become an inevitable need for urban water management. There are various kinds of grey water treatment systems around the world. A review of those processes has been done to identify the best suited processes at household and community level. Septic tank, constructed wetland and intermittent sand filter are identified as the most suitable processes for decentralized treatment due to the simple operation and maintenance facilities as well as cost effectiveness of these systems. The use of gray water is becoming more and more common, especially in areas where water resources are scarce. The use of grey water is, therefore, the last option for the water conservation. Grey water use is important because it restricts fresh water demand and reduces stress on treatment system. These alternative resources include rainwater and bulk of water used in household will emerge as grey water and contain some minerals, organic waste materials dissolved and suspended in it. When this is allowed to flow out this will join the sewage and bacteriologically contaminated, resulting in a sewage stream. It is possible to intercept this grey water, at the household level, treat it so that it can be recycled for garden washing and flushing purposes.