The use and disposal of greywater in the non-sewered areas of South Africa: Part 2 – Greywater management options

Abstract

Greywater has been identified as a key area of research in South Africa owing to the fact that service delivery in low-income areas largely consists of on-site dry sanitation with communal water points where greywater has the potential to create a host of environmental and health problems. The main aim of this study was to investigate the use and disposal of greywater in non-sewered areas in South Africa and this included developing options for the management thereof, both in terms of reducing health and environmental risks as well as possibly providing benefits through controlled reuse. This paper reports on observations made in the course of a two-year study that examined greywater management in 39 low-income non-sewered settlements situated in 6 of the 9 provinces. Proposals are made for the selection of various greywater management options as well as guidance for the planning for, and handling of, greywater from low-income areas.

SuDS for managing surface water in Diepsloot informal settlement, Johannesburg, South Africa

“…They also shared the view that solid waste removal, surface water management and similar issues should be addressed by the municipality (cf. Carden et al, 2007;Douglas et al, 2008;Armitage et al, 2009).…”

Development of guidance for sustainable irrigation use of greywater in gardens and small-scale agriculture in South Africa

“…Some local authorities, e.g. Cape Town Municipality, have introduced policies and by-laws (currently in draft form), which provide guidance relevant to the management and use of greywater for irrigation, either explicitly or implicitly (Carden et al, 2007). However, the status of such guidance remains in doubt as long as the legislative status of greywater use is not clarified.…”

“…Combined with the high concentration of pollutants in greywater in informal settlements, the lack of proper waste and wastewater infrastructure and the widespread mingling of different waste streams, this has led to doubts concerning the possibility of the safe use of greywater in these settlements (Carden et al, 2007). The paradox is that greywater offers the greatest potential for improvement in household nutritional status and social functioning in poor rural settlements, and in urban and peri-urban settlements around the major metropoles of South Africa (Van Averbeke, 2007 (Rodda et al, 2010a;b).…”

“…The mean greywater return in un-sewered settlements in South Africa is 75% of household water consumption (Carden et al, 2007).…”

“…An exploratory workshop was held with policy-makers, while local authorities were surveyed by a questionnaire sent out to all local authorities listed by the South African Local Government Association (SALGA). Existing surveys of greywater generation, use and disposal in un-sewered settlements (Carden et al, 2007), were supplemented by surveys of 6 settlements served either by waterborne sewerage or by dry on-site sanitation.…”