Greywater Irrigation in Rural Areas of Jordan: Opportunities for Saving Fresh Water and Poverty Reduction
During the year 2000, the IDRC supported INWRDAM in conducting a comprehensive evaluation of the potential for greywater reuse in rural areas of Jordan. This evaluation resulted in initiating Phase I of a greywater research project that was implemented in Ein Al-Baida, of Tafilah Governorate, southern Jordan, from May 2001 to May 2003. Phase I resulted in developing and evaluating five different types of on-site greywater treatment units. Two out of the five units were selected as potential units for further improvement and scale-up. In Phase II, the designs were further developed to make them more practical and less costly to operate.
The units were installed at 110 households to irrigate their gardens with wastewater of appropriate quality. This pilot project was successful in several aspects. It lowered the demand for drinking water and for pumping sewerage from septic tanks, it provided additional income for participating households, and it continues to serve as an example for other locations.
Analysis
Results obtained
- Served more than 110 low-income families
- Average annual revenue from greywater reuse was USD 187.86 per family
- Created a platform of cooperation between researchers from INWRDAM and key stakeholder ministries concerned with wastewater, agriculture, social development, environment, public health and planning
- Drafted proposed guidelines for domestic greywater in peri-urban areas of Jordan
Success factors
- Low cost of technology
- Short payback period
- Local community acceptance of the idea of greywater reuse
Indicators used
- Water savings of 15 percent for participating households
- Lower frequency of the need to empty septic tanks
- Increased annual revenue for participating households
The socioeconomic impacts of the project encourage the expansion of greywater reuse to other regions of Jordan with similar conditions.
Word of the success of the greywater recycling project has spread beyond Jordan to many of its equally thirsty neighbours, thanks in part to the Department of Statistics, which published the results of the initial projects on its website. Greywater reuse projects are now underway in Lebanon, Syria and West Bank and Gaza, and several other countries have indicated interest in the technology.
Total costs
Contact:
Dr. Murad Bino
Amman, Jordan
+962 6 5332993
inwrdam@nic.net.jo
www.inwrdam.org
References
- Studies of IDRC Supported Research on Greywater in Jordan conducted by INWRDAM: https://idl-bnc.idrc.ca/dspace/bitstream/10625/36832/1/127769.pdf
- Bob Stanley. “Dealing with the Water Deficit in Jordan: Recycling household water to irrigate home gardens makes good environmental and financial sense”, Urban Poverty and Environment Programme Initiative, IDRC: https://www.idrc.ca/sites/default/files/sp/Documents%20EN/dealing-with-water-deficit-jordan.pdf