Greywater Irrigation in Rural Areas of Jordan: Opportunities for Saving Fresh Water and Poverty Reduction

Initially, the communities in the project area utilised fresh water from the tap to irrigate their gardens. There was no separation of greywater from the black. Therefore, the whole stream flowed into the household septic tank, which required frequent pumping as it filled quickly. The cost of extra fresh water and the cost of frequent pumping placed a real cost burden on families.

During the year 2000, the IDRC supported INWRDAM to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the potential for greywater reuse in rural areas of Jordan. This evaluation resulted in initiating Phase I of greywater research project, which 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 of the five were selected as potential units for further improvement and scale-up. One module is now known as the 4-barrel unit, and the other is known as the confined trench unit (CT).

The 4-barrel unit consists of four recycled plastic barrels connected by 3-inch diameter plastic pipes. The first barrel of 50-litre capacity receives greywater coming from the house and removes grease, oil and settable solids. After that, two 200-litre barrels are connected by pipes in such a way that greywater passes in an up-flow mode through a bed of crushed stones or gravel and achieves physical and biological treatment. A final barrel of 160-litres is fitted with a small electric pump and float switch that delivers treated greywater to a trickle irrigation system serving a small garden of trees.

Phase II further improved the design and operation of both the 4-barrel and CT units so that routine cleaning was made easier. The improvements also solved problems with pump priming and improved agricultural practices, resulting in increased family incomes and reduced impact of greywater on soil, plants and the environment. Local community participation in Phase II was emphasised, and modalities for beneficiary contributions in the ownership of the greywater treatment units were tested.

There was some initial resistance to the idea of using greywater, both among households and local officials. Some were sceptical and unconvinced that the system would work, or afraid that it would be too expensive and difficult to maintain. Others worried about odours and mosquitoes. But the community quickly became enthusiastic once the system was demonstrated.