Egyptians awareness towards domestic water conservation and reuse

Abstract

Egypt's population growth has led to the expansion of new cities and urban communities in the desert areas near the Delta and Nile Valley. However, providing fresh water to these cities is a costly affair due to their distance from the Nile River, high elevation, and excessive water consumption by residents. To address this issue sustainably, renewable sources of water must be found, and existing resources must be managed efficiently. Public acceptance is crucial for success, so a survey was conducted in four governorates (Cairo, El-Minya, Assuit, and Sohag) to assess public awareness of water-saving practices and treated greywater reuse for non-potable options. The results indicated that women have a lower level of awareness of water scarcity issues compared to men. Only 53 % of female participants were aware of the problem, while 75.2 % of male participants were aware. Similarly, only 79.5 % of female participants were aware of the importance of water conservation compared to 92.3 % of male participants. This lack of awareness has resulted in negative impacts on their water consumption habits, willingness to adopt water conservation measures, and their willingness to reuse treated greywater. Shockingly, only 50 % of individuals between the ages of 18 and 25 were aware of the issue of water scarcity. Furthermore, only 25 % of participants with primary education were aware of the issue of water scarcity and the importance of conserving water. There is a strong correlation between knowledge of the water crisis issue and willingness to adopt water conservation measures and reuse treated greywater. Participants were most accepting of reusing greywater for car washing at 66.5 %, followed by irrigation of green spaces at 64.5 %, and then for toilet flushing at 33.5 %. About 44.2 % of participants believed that the main challenge in reusing treated greywater was concerns about water quality.