Water conservation and reuse
Recent studies have predicted that the effects of global climate change on the region will be severe, and may include a mean temperature rise of 3 to 5 degrees and a 20 % decline in precipitation by the end of the century. In tandem with population growth, this will create increased pressure on already strained water resources, and the amount of water that is available per person will decrease. Learn more about the threat of climate change in the Middle East...
Palestinians, who are already suffering from water shortage for political reasons may in the future find themselves in an even worse situation as a consequence of climate change. Finding ways to conserve and reuse water is vitally important both for preserving a decent quality of life, and also for protecting the natural water resources that sustain all the people of the region.
Everyone can act to help conserve water, starting with very simple steps like turning off the tap when you are brushing your teeth, or washing up with a bowl full of water instead of under running water. At Bustan Qaraaqa we are also using a composting toilet and a greywater reuse system to conserve water.
The composting toilet:
On average, each person flushes 30 litres of drinking water down the toilet every day. In the West Bank, due to the development situation, less than 10% of this sewage water receives any treatment. So as well as being a huge waste of water, it is also environmentally destructive, contaminating streams and soil and threatening groundwater quality. Learn more about the wastewater situation...
Our composting toilet is a waterless system. Waste is collected in an 80 litre container beneath a long-drop. Urine is separated using a device attached to the toilet seat, and can be diluted and used to fertilise plants. Sawdust (rich in carbon) from the local olivewood industry is added to the waste (rich in nitrogen). When full, the container is removed and emptied, so that all the waste is composted in a 1 metre squared container. When that container is full it is covered and left to compost for 6 months to 1 year, with occasional irrigation with greywater. At the end of this time period, the waste has turned into rich soil, and can be used to grow tree crops. A well managed “humanure” compost heap does not smell bad at all, and as long as sufficient cover material is added, there is no risk to human health. Learn more about composting toilets...
In addition to saving water and preserving the environment, composting toilets are much more pleasant to use during water shortages than flush toilets which cannot be flushed when there is no water. The composting toilet is designed to work with no water so there is no problem.
Also, in situations where denial of infrastructure water and wastewater infrastructure is being used as a political tool to force people from their land (e.g. Area C of the West Bank, the Unrecognized Villages in the Negev), the composting toilet is an ideal system that allows people to very simply manage their own waste and save water, helping them to live ‘off the grid’ and resist expulsion from their land. Learn more...
The greywater reuse system:
We all use water for a myriad of household tasks every day, including washing our hands, washing dishes and clothes, showering, cleaning floors etc. Much of this water is reusable and can be reclaimed quite simply and used either in the home or in the garden.
For example, it is quite easy to re-plumb hand basins so that they drain into buckets under the sink rather than into pipes which mix this relatively clean water with sewage water and render it very expensive to clean. Water from showers can also be saved by putting a plug in the bath. The water that is saved could be used to wash the floor, to flush the toilet, or to grow food. Using water twice is not just smart environmentally – it also saves money and helps cope with water shortage.
At Bustan Qaraaqa we use our greywater to grow food. We have a composting toilet, so we do not need to worry abut re-plumbing our house as there is no sewage water generated. All the water used in the house is passed through a sand and gravel filter outside, and then, by gravity, it flows down a pipe into pipes surrounded with gravel and set below the ground in a vegetable garden on the terrace below the house.
These pipes have slots cut into them and are carefully arranged in a framework with all the slots at the same level so that when the water reaches a certain level, it spills over simultaneously throughout the framework and is distributed equally across the bed. We have used this system to grow salad vegetables and herbs, and sometimes we transfer the water temporarily from the vegetable beds to tree crops. In Palestine, where economic crisis, food insecurity and water shortage intersect, using greywater to grow food is an excellent way for people to supplement their diets at no additional cost to themselves. Learn more about greywater treatment and reuse...
Using greywater in this way requires some discipline with what products are used in the house. Toxic chemical are out – no bleaches or so-called ‘antibacterial’ products should be put down the drains, and organic soaps and shampoos are best for showering and washing hands.
Luckily, the locally produced olive soap is an environmentally sound and generically available option. Other readily available ‘housekeepers friends’ are lemon juice (or the juice/peel of any citrus fruit), wood ash, baking soda, vinegar, and caustic soda (only use a little!). Using these ingredients and a bit of elbow grease you can clean pretty much anything, from ovens to bathrooms. There are also many environmentally friendly products on the market these days, although these are less readily available in Palestine. Learn more about environmentally friendly housekeeping...