By Savithri Rodrigo
Kingstown, St. Vincent & The Grenadines (Commonwealth Union)_With climate response now a rule rather than an exception given the abject water scarcity and other natural disasters and risks faced by residents in St. Vincent & The Grenadines, a sustainable living campaign launched by Richmond Vale Academy (RVA) has begun construction of grey water sand filter recycling systems in home gardens it mooted to aid food security. At least three of the five home gardens selected for the groundbreaking water management initiative are headed by women.
The five selected home gardens are now using grey water systems which would improve water security and increase resilience to the vulnerability felt by the people due to impacts of climate change. Rainfall variables and increasing frequencies of tropical cyclones are two of the most severe natural risks faced by residents.
Grey water is used water from showers, tubs, washing machines and bathroom sinks and should not be confused with black water which is any water that has sewage in it. Grey water could contain traces of food, dirt, hair, grease and even household cleaning products and while it may look unclean, is a safe source of irrigation for yards and gardens.
The grey water systems being constructed are also designed to empower the owners of the home gardens making them water entrepreneurs and model farmers. The systems work by installing plumbing from the house connecting the grey wastewater to the nature-based filter which water will then flow into the sand and gravel filter. The filtered water goes into the reed bed system and with the installation of an outlet for the purified water, will empty into a dasheen patch.
The systems are on a co-supported model where home garden owners will help in the construction of the grey water system and be trained by the construction staff on managing the system sustainably.
With the country devastated by severe weather disasters continually over the past decade, RVA, which was established in 2022 as a non-profit research and training institution in Chateaubelair, has focused its attention on poverty reduction, environmental conservation and climate change awareness. One of the decisive initiatives taken by RVA in response was ‘The Saint Vincent Climate Compliance Conference 2012-2021’ which aimed to unite people into being climate responsive.
The grey water filtration system is one of those responses which also brings together the three-pronged approach RVA has been advocating – poverty reduction by using home gardens as a means of empowerment and economic sustainability, environmental conservation by recycling water and climate change awareness which would come naturally when residents become a part of the response to the risks associated with climate change.
