UI4051-DRP000205

Faculty: Dhruv Bhavsar

Greywater Management in Rural Areas

Swachh Bharat Mission Grameen 2.0 defines ODF Plus village as “A village that sustains its ODF status, ensures solid and liquid waste management, and is visually clean”. SBM has been able to achieve significant strides over the last 7 years by providing access to toilets to underserved areas and encouraging their sustainable use. Most districts in India are now ODF with toilet coverage of nearly 99 % in rural India. As we chart the course ahead for SBM and increasing ODF coverage in India, it is an opportune moment to develop a comprehensive framework for one of the ODF +, elements, namely liquid waste or Greywater Management. This has emerged as a major problem in rural areas and the issue of its management will also become challenge overtime. Management of Greywater in rural areas needs innovative solutions to address the challenge. There is a need for developing a strategy to manage the greywater. Organizing grey waste management activities in rural areas will reduce the burden on the fresh water supply and augment water for non-potable domestic purposes. With appropriate policy nudges, these can be scaled up into opportunities addressing water stress in rural India.