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Water lessons / Water project

Created by Emma Crichton, EWB-UK Volunteer 2012 email: emma.crichton@ewb-uk.org

Existing curriculum at Vigyan Ashram on or relating to water:

- Basic rural technology: Practical manual

o P36 Chlorination of water practical

o P38 Oral rehydration

o Design and layout of drip and sprinkler irrigation. P 81

o p116

o P 142 Evaluate the quality of milk – could do similar test for water?

o P232 Soak pits construction

- Ground water resources p 33 Curriculum

- Pollution: Waste and water p44 curriculum

- Previous Powerpoints:

o Groundwater and Pumps (57 slides)

o Sanitation and Rubbish

o Weather and how to measure rainfall.

o Low cost housing – Soak Pit PPT (Developed from 2011 PPT)

Water testing is a part of the curriculum too (Home and Health Section)

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Plan for stages in project:

Grey water lessons

These lessons were initially intended to support the construction of a grey water recycling system at Vigyan Ashram.

It would be to support the treatment of the kitchen water (water used to wash plates) so that it could be used for

agriculture or flush toilets. There are several requirements for this grey water recycling system including:

- ‘Fit and Forget’ model: Minimal need for maintenance

- System will only include grey water filtration

- The filtered water will be used for irrigation or grey water recycling only.

- The system is to be ‘natural’ so only biological and physical processes.

- It is to be capable for a rise in intake of staff and students at school.

- Appropriate for rural setting and low cost

- Design has the capacity to become a model for local farmers to use.

Following the construction of a water filter in order to test different layers of soil it was recommended that a

turbidity meter was bought in addition to the DO(Dissolved oxygen) test and other water testing kits

Turbidity is the amount of cloudiness of the water. High turbidity means you cannot see through the water (low =

clear). Causes of high turbidity include presence of silt, sand and mud, bacteria and germs and chemical precipitates.

High turbidity can also block filters, stop them working and damage valves and taps. Even low turbidity can prevent

chlorination from killing germs.

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Measuring turbidity: Electronic turbidity meter or turbidity tupe.

6 days of lessons See all PPTs

Day 1: Introduction to water supply, sanitation, water hygiene and waste management, briefly groundwater and

students were to survey School

Click on to Introduction of Day 1: PPT 1

Day 2: Lesson on Global Water. Survey of Pabal.

Click on to Introduction of Day 2: PPT 2

Day 3: Presentations, Water testing, Experiment with Infiltration through various layers of materials

Click on to Introduction of Day 3: PPT 3

Day 4: Water filtration theory and maths calculations (area, volume, unit conversions)

Click on to Introduction of Day 4: PPT 4

Day 5: Continuation with maths calculations and introduction to household systems

Click on to Introduction of Day 5: PPT 5

Day 6: This lesson coincided with the completion of the water filter so students were taught about head and the

theory behind the filter. They then tested the water for hardness, nitrate and ph.

Click on to Introduction of Day 6: PPT 6

Feedback from Volunteer:

It would have been good if a turbidity meter was bought so that the bigger project could have continued. However

it would be hard to include students in the design of the system so maybe was a blessing in disguise.

Two of the six days included at least 5 hours of lesson time on how to do area and volume calculations of a

rectangle, circle, half circle, cube and cylinder. We also covered circumference. The ability of students ranged hugely.

To begin with however almost all were unsure of these calculations and with very few being able to tell me what pie

was. By fully explaining concepts like m2 = m x m or what is radius etc. This misunderstanding for basic mathematics

is common in the students. Many get confused with whether to use pie for calculations of a rectangle’s area. We

then moved onto unit conversion and how to change from m3 to Litres or sq feet to m2. This is something I feel is an

essential skill for students. Also how to go from mm3 to m3. Taking them through a simple step by step seemed an

effective medium for teaching:

e.g. 1m = 1000m 1m2 = 1000mmx1000mm 1m3 = 1000mm x 1000mm x 1000mm

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They included the students conducting a survey of the schools water and assessment of water use and supply in

Pabal. They then identified places in Pabal and the school where a grey water recycling system could be

implemented. There were some really good suggestions for the village.

Suggestions for grey water system in Pabal:

Water assessment of the school:

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Other useful information:

Engineering in Emergencies – A practical guide for relief workers (Jan Davis and Robert Lambert) was also useful

p 289 - 344

www.who.int for information about safe water parameters

There are plenty of youtube videos showing successful filter used in rural areas from around the world for example

in Brazil the Dom Helder Camara project (Infad and UN agency) where water from toilets, basins and showers is put

through pipes, pebbles, grit, and wood shavings amongst other layers.

Samaritan Purse Canada – turnonthetap.ca . Which claims to remove organic material, worms, bacteria, protozoa

and viruses.

South Australia has grey water recycling on board boats.

Some waste water treatment technologies:

- Aeriation tanks, settlement tank and oxidation ditch.

Filtration rate or surface loading = flow (m3/h) / filter surface area (m2)

Some good atrticles on http://www.eolss.net

Username: INDEmmaCrichton

Password: 2EC475D0BCD6

Valid 6 months after 20/8/2012

Traditional methods and household water purification in rural communities in developing countries include: Filtration through cloth (Can filter plant debris, insects, dust particles or coarse mud particles but can only partically filter suspended particles. Not suitable for highly turbid water. Good for filtration of well water) Wood ash of Sal Tree (Shora Robuta): Can be mixed with water if raw water is muddy. Filtration through plant material: Wiry roots of the rhizomes from the ‘ramachlam’ (Vetiveria zizanoides) are placed in clay jar with holes at the bottom. Filtered water collected underneath. Other methods: Jempeng stone filter (Can filter highly turbid water and can be cut into the side of an irrigation channel) Possible methods for grey water recycling: Horizontal flow course media filter Upflow gravel filter Two stage filter Upflow/down flow filter Black water recycling Steps:

1. Sludge stabilisation 2. Dewatering 3. Incineration 4. Composting 5. Drying www.aaqua.org Water Project

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Report

Wastewater/ Grey water Filtration System: Who: Emma Status: Researching

1.1.1 Scope

Individual houses at Vigyan Ashram have soak pits. (see Figure 1). However there are

currently around 50 students who use communal lavatories (Figure 2).

Figure 2

Currently these communal lavatories wastewater flows into a septic tank which is emptied by a truck frequently.

Figure 3

Septic Tank

Separate drinking water storage Communal lavoratories

Figure 1

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Surface water and overflow is piped 4m onto grass below.

Figure 4

Figure 4 shows the available area for the filtration system (recycling will be moved). If filtered water is released on

fields below there is vast amount of space for it to spread out. I have been told that there is no drinking water source

in the affected area.

1.1.2 Other requirements for grey/black water filtration:

On 15/08/2012 Ranjeet and Emma had meeting with Mr Dasnukar to discuss implementation of water filtration

system. He provided detail on the case study below. It is a gravity filter system which will include soil, sand, pebbles

and boulders layers. There is enough space to include two filtrations. However Mr Dasnukar suggested that this was

not necessary at Vigyan Ashram.

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1.1.3 Case study from Case Study: CD Dasnukar

Works for part time for the social foundation and part time at Fusiontech Ventures Pvt. Ltd

email: dasnurkarcd@gmail.com

Details of the 10000 liter per day effluent control plant are attached. Area of the 1st root zone is 300 sq ft

and the second root zone is about 400 sq ft . Should you need further details , you may have to approach

the Consultant. The details of the bio filtering media below the root zone are always a trade secret but you

may be able to devise those by experimentation in your own campus. Then, I suppose, you have the talent

to design the rest.

Pl. observe the colour of liquid I had extracted from end of each root zone [bio filter] and the last one after

pressure filter. If the water could be give to an agriculture field, all the complication of alum tank and

pressure filter could be eliminated. People have provided one more root zone in such cases.

1.2 Drinking Water filtration system: Who: Emma Status: Researching

Water filtration system: Currently chlorinating all the water for all the students and staff (up to 100 people). Need to

design a system that will be more sustainable, low cost and work with/without electricity. Easy project research and

just implement. Water filtration system would be good project to do. The current plastic tanks that students drink

from are not filtered properly so students can get ill. There is lots of information on water filtration system the

volunteer and students must research, choose appropriate rural solution and implement solution perhaps

substituting in materials available from Pabal.