ASSESSMENT OF THE APPLICABILITY OF ON-SITE GREY WATER TREATMENT SYSTEM IN THE GAZA STRIP

• Main Author: J. K. Alhabil, Belal
• Format: Theses
• Language: Indonesia
• Online Access: https://digilib.itb.ac.id/gdl/view/57838
• Institution: Institut Teknologi Bandung

The Gaza Strip have been suffering from the problem of sewage, as untreated wastewater is one of the most important sources of water pollution in the Gaza Strip, and is considered a threat to public health. The proportion of untreated wastewater is estimated about 90% of the total quantities of wastewater. It estimated that 80% of the untreated wastewater goes to the sea, and 10% seeps into the aquifer polluting the groundwater and soil. The authorities in the Gaza Strip had moved toward applying the on-site grey water treatment units (GWTUs) in some areas of the Gaza Strip to reduce the water demand and reduce the volumes of discharged wastewater. In which the GWTUs can provide water for agricultural purposes for being reused in toilets. The study aims to assess the economic, environmental, technical, social, and health impacts of applying the GWTUs, also to find the barriers and drivers for their implementation in the Gaza Strip. The methodology consisted of two questionnaires, the first questionnaire targeted the households that have GWTUs, and the second questionnaire targeted the experts, professionals, and engineers in the Water and Sanitation (WASH) sectors. The results showed that the On-site greywater treatment system have a positive impact on the environment, health, and socio-economic conditions of beneficiaries as long as there is no defects in the system. In which, most of respondents did not complain from bad odor, insects infestation or noticeable noise. It also reduces the freshwater demand by the reuse of the treated water. Additionally, the system improved the socio-economic conditions of the beneficiaries by increasing their saving, providing a new income source, and increasing their income. The main drivers for applying GWTUs were the reuse of treated grey water in irrigation, followed by reducing costs of cesspits discharge, availability of external fund, water shortage, and saving water bill. While the barriers of its implementation were the financial burden for operation and maintenance on the householders. The second barrier is the grey water leakage. The third barrier is odour emission and insects’ infestation. The fourth barrier is the lack of implementing agency follow up after the end of phase one (The first year of operation). The last lower barriers mentioned by the respondents were the inadequate beneficiaries’ experience in operation and maintenance, Health risks and worries about water quality, and the operation and maintenance of the treatment unit. During preparation of the research, it was noticed that the success and treatment efficiency of these units were varied from one household to another. The success aspects included the water shortage as a main driver for success of onsite GWTUs, where the beneficiaries found a solution for water scarcity by utilizing untreated grey water in irrigation. In addition to the presence of external funding for the construction, operation, and maintenance of the treatment system in the first year of operation, encouraged people to accept the treatment system. On the other hand, failure resulted from the inappropriate construction of the treatment units that caused the leakage of the untreated grey water in addition to other problem. Also from the absence of monitoring and technical support from the implementing agency, and due to the beneficiaries’ lack of knowledge and understanding of the system operation and maintenance. The on-site grey water sanitation system is acceptable in rural communities. Therefore, a more proper design is required to treat the wastewater, and reduce the use of cesspits and minimize its harmful implications on environment, ground water and public health.