HEALTH AND SANITATION
33
Guidelines for grey water
use and management in
South Africa: an introduction
South Africa faces a range of challenges with respect to water management,
including increasing demand for water and resource shortages.
By Water Research Commission
Environmental degradation, fragmented institutional
structures, and basic services backlogs also form
part of the range of challenges.
Internationally, it is becoming increasingly accepted
that a new approach to urban water management
is needed. The World Water Analysis Partnership
noted that "water management in urban areas can
benefit from more comprehensive urban planning and
integrated urban water management". Integrated Urban
Water Management (IUWM) is an approach to urban
water services that considers water supply, drainage,
and sanitation as interdependent components of the
integrated physical system known as the urban water
cycle. As a result of this growing awareness of a need
for change, the management and use of grey water
(and other resource options aimed at diversifying water
resources) as a viable alternative source of water for a
range of 'fit for purpose' end-uses is being considered.
Based on projected population growth, economic
development rates, and the rate of urbanisation, it is
unlikely that future demand for water in the country
will be sustainable, and the availability of supply is
likely to become a major restriction to future socio-
economic development.
an integrated water supply system. This project was thus
aimed at providing the necessary guidance to support the
wider adoption of domestic grey water management and
use in South Africa to support the continued integration of
the management of the urban water cycle.
Treated grey water is already used in many countries
throughout the world for household purposes, such as
toilet flushing and irrigation of gardens; with recent
research also considering the use of grey water to
maintain 'green walls' (and thereby contributing to
urban cooling) associated with large commercial/
residential developments. The management and use of grey water can pose
significant risks, specifically in terms of the potential
health and environmental hazards from chemical and
microbiological contaminants and disease vectors,
depending on the source of the grey water (for example
serviced or unserviced settlements), the treatment
process adopted (if any), and the use for which it is
intended. Grey water quality is highly variable, and
there is a need to develop guidelines to ensure the safe
management and use of grey water as an alternate water
resource, and also to limit and manage inappropriate
disposal in areas where it has the potential to result in
major health hazards; specifically, in low-income/'gap'
housing and informal settlements.
In South Africa, the use of (mostly) untreated grey water by
individuals and companies has mainly been restricted to
areas where alternative water sources are sought — often
(but not always) during times of drought. This is partly
owing to the fact that there remains little in the way of
published local guidance as to how grey water systems
should be designed, operated , and maintained as part of PROJECT AIMS
Through the development of a set of guidelines, this
project aimed to address (and mitigate) the risks
associated with the management and use of domestic
grey water, and support the wider uptake of this practice
in South Africa — such that the diverse benefits that
grey water use may offer can be realised. These include
www.plumbingafrica.co.za
A simple grey water
system exclusively for
garden irrigation.
There remains
little in the way
of published local
guidance as to
how grey water
systems should be
designed, operated,
and maintained
as part of an
integrated water
supply system.
Continued on page 35 >>
June 2018 Volume 24 I Number 4