Abstract
Greywater reuse has potential for non-potable applications that conserve freshwater resources in water-stressed areas especially in sub-Saharan Africa. The feasibility of reusing greywater for domestic activities in a rural area of Malawi, Africa, was evaluated from microbiological and public acceptance perspectives. Median Escherichia coli concentrations for eight domestic greywater sources (handwashing, laundry, runoff from a tap apron, bathing, cleaning a home/kitchen, cleaning a water collection container, washing plates and soaking vegetables) ranged from 100 to >20,000 colony forming units (cfu)/100 ml. Twenty-four of 47 greywater samples tested (51%) met the World Health Organization guideline for unrestricted use of greywater for irrigation. Pertinently, 80% (4/5) and 60% (3/5) of greywater samples from handwashing stations and bathing had E. coli less than the WHO guideline. Users reported greatest acceptance of reusing greywater for growing food and washing clothes, especially when the greywater source was bathing. Acceptance was closely tied to a household's economic standing, geographic location, and first-hand knowledge of reusing greywater. Greywater reuse practices in rural areas, especially targeting bathing water as suitable from bacteriological and user perception criteria, can help mitigate the impacts of water stress in sub-Saharan Africa.
Highlights
Evan Newcomer Department of Civil, Architectural, and Environmental Engineering, Drexel University, 3141 Chestnut St, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USACourtney Boyd Center for Interdisciplinary Inquiry, Drexel University, 3141 Chestnut St, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USALaban Nyirenda Northern Zone WASH, World Vision Malawi, Box 610, Mzuzu, MalawiEmmanuel Opong World Vision International, P.O
The purpose of this study is to evaluate the feasibility of reusing domestic greywater in applications that reduce the burden of collecting potable water in rural communities as examined using household surveys, focus group discussions, and by testing water samples for the presence of total coliform and Escherichia coli in a rural area of northern Malawi
Respondent households were in proximity to the Chikwina-Mpamba gravity-fed water distribution system, which covers an area of approximately 57 km2 and whose ongoing development has been supported by the non-governmental organization World Vision Malawi (WVM)
Summary
The World Health Organization (WHO) credits stress on global freshwater resources and demands associated with increasing populations as the main drivers behind an increase in the reuse of greywater for agricultural purposes. In the case of residential schools in India, environmental and health benefits were valued to be substantially higher than the capital construction costs associated with installing a greywater reuse system for food production and flushing toilets (Godfrey et al ). According to Hall et al ( ), low-income rural households that use water for productive purposes such as raising livestock can benefit from multiple-use water systems (MUS), which are designed to provide water for more than one specific purpose
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