Design of decentralized water and wastewater management and reuse system for rural India: challenges and opportunities

Ensuring sanitation and hygiene in rural areas of developing countries is challenging due to limited infrastructure and prohibitive costs. Decentralized solutions offer flexibility and cost-effectiveness, allowing for customization to local needs. This paper examines an innovative modular decentralized wastewater treatment system (DWWTS) at a government-run school in rural India. It integrates technical and social science research for sustainable long-term outcomes. The system reduced the school’s freshwater consumption by 50% annually (520,000 L/year) by treating greywater to drinking standards, recycling it, and harvesting rainwater. Solar panels installed with the DWWTS cut electricity consumption from the grid by 52%. User-informed design increased toilet usage by 35% within four months. The per capita daily water consumption for rural schools with mid-day meals was concluded to be 11.1 ± 1.36 L. The project contributes to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals by safeguarding water resources, enhancing sanitation, and fostering social capital through technical training for disadvantaged groups. It discusses implementation challenges and strategies for DWWTS in rural settings, providing baseline criteria for similar projects: supporting water managers, practitioners, and engineers with design guidelines and consumption data for cost-effective water solutions.