THE severe water shortage in Karachi, particularly in DHA, has necessitated the recycling of water and I have done this in my home. A lot of fresh water is wasted in flushing toilets, gardening, washing driveways, ramps, etc.

I have successfully altered the plumbing in the bathrooms of my house so that the washbasin drain water is used for flushing, thereby saving several gallons of fresh water per bathroom per day.

The washbasin drain water first fills the flush tank and then goes into the drain. This is easily done, using PVC pipe, elbows and tees.

For the new houses being built, the grey water from washbasins, showers, bathtubs, kitchen and washing machine is separately drained into an underground fibreglass tank at the back of the house.

From there it is pumped up to another fibreglass tank placed on the rooftop. This tank supplies all the flush tanks in the house and also the garden, porch, ramp, etc.

A little investment in plumbing will go a long way in alleviating our water woes and becoming less dependent on municipal or tanker supplies.

Asif Jah

Karachi

Published in Dawn, August 1st, 2015

On a mobile phone? Get the Dawn Mobile App: Apple Store | Google Play