Assessment of availability and characteristics of Greywater in Amman

Abstract

The problem of water scarcity in Jordan has resulted in enormous pressures on the already limited renewable water sources. As a result, reuse of water is becoming an essential component of the water management trends being adopted. This study aims at evaluating the potential of greywater availability and the various components constituting sources of greywater generated in Amman, at investigating the different water quality parameters of the greywater in order to assess its reuse potential, and at gauging the public acceptance of greywater reuse for different applications. A survey was designed and administered in 38 areas of Amman. The survey covered a total of 233 houses and 1,514 people. Fifteen greywater samples, distributed equally, were collected and analyzed from showers, laundries, and sinks in some of these houses to determine their water quality parameters. The study concluded that per capita water consumption in Amman ranged between 51 and 115 liters per day, with an average of 84 liters per day. The quantities of greywater generated in Amman ranged from 39 to 80 Lpcd, with an average of 59 Lpcd, which constitute 70 percent of the total water consumption. Laundry, shower, and sink effluents comprised 16, 34, and 50 percent of greywater sources, respectively. The physical, chemical, and biological analyses of the grab samples revealed that greywater contains significant levels of suspended solids, inorganic constituents, chemical and biochemical oxygen demands, total Coliforms and Fecal Coliform bacteria. The public acceptance survey revealed that 21.6 to 67.6 percent of the public accepted the reuse of greywater for vegetable growing, irrigation of fruit trees, car washing, toilet flushing, or home laundry. Additionally, 2.0 to 91.8 percent of the public opposed greywater reuse due to cost, health hazards, groundwater pollution, or environmental impacts.

Evaluating greywater reuse potential for sustainable water resources management in Oman

“…These assumed values may differ from one agency to another and from one country to another. For example, assumed water use values adopted by the Ministry of Water and Irrigation in Jordan include 90 l per use for automatic washing machines, 60 l per use for manual washing machines, 60 l per shower use, 2 l per minute per sink use, and 5% of total household consumption for gardens (Jamrah et al 2006). These values are very much similar to those reported in Table 2 for Oman.…”

“…The treatment and reuse of greywater have not been implemented in the Sultanate of Oman yet. In order to properly design a greywater system, accurate estimation of greywater quantities available for reuse is an essential task (Jamrah et al 2006). Hence, a detailed study was carried out to evaluate the amount of greywater availability, greywater quality and public acceptance for greywater reuse in Muscat Governorate in the Sultanate of Oman.…”

Drinking water quality in roof storage tanks in the city of Amman, Jordan

“…It is important to note that water use reported in Table 3 is based on one sample per location for most of the locations which means that these numbers can serve as a guide only. Jamrah et al (2006) have conducted a more comprehensive study for Amman city where a maximum of 115 l/c/d, a minimum of 51 l/c/d and an average of 84 l/c/d were reported.…”

Survival of bacteria in soil subsequent to greywater application

“…But greywater is not always pathogen-free, and all greywater should be considered as potentially contaminated by bacteria, some of which may be pathogenic [2]. Greywater samples collected from several households in Amman contained significant concentrations of total and faecal Coliform bacteria [2].…”