Monitoring the generation of waste water from ablution process in mosques in Abul Fazl, New Delhi

Abstract

There is a lack of water resources and extreme use of potable water in India. Presently about 330 million people in India are facing regular water shortage. In 2016, 300 districts spread across 13 states in India, suffered from an acute shortage of drinking water. As quoted in Hadith, Prophet Muhammad reminded Muslims to avoid wastage, even when performing the cleansing ritual or ablution prior to prayer. The ablution ritual consumes a large amount of water, where ablution water from mosques in India is commonly discharged untreated into drainage channels. In India, most ablution systems consist simply of a row of water taps with a drainage trough to carry the greywater to main drains. As the tap is usually left running, decent amount of water is wasted in the process. Considering the unnecessary wastage, this study makes attempt to identify the amount of runoff water of the Abul Fazl, New Delhi, India and find out the possible strategies and a simple recycling system to collect, treat and re-use of ablution water within a closed-loop system for non-potable water applications, onsite and off-site both. This approach not just only introduces practical solutions in promoting sustainable living, but also in line with the Islamic principles of using natural resources in a prudent manner