Black water is water from you home that comes from things in your home that is not clean. For example, clean water comes from the water heater, from the sink when your running water, from the back of the toilet, and in the shower out of the faucet. The black water in the home comes from sources that are not clear, not clean. Black water in the home comes from the toilet overflowing, from the sewage pipes in your home, the release pipes from the washer, from the garbage disposal and similar type areas of your home.

A trickling filter consists of a bed of highly permeable media on whose surface a mixed population of microorganisms is developed as a slime layer.  The word "filter" in this case is not correctly used for there is no straining or filtering action involved.  Passage of wastewater through the filter causes the development of a gelatinous coating of bacteria, protozoa and other organisms on the media.  With time, the thickness of the slime layer increases preventing oxygen from penetrating the full depth of the slime layer.  In the absence of oxygen, anaerobic decompositio

Any pond, natural or artificial, receiving raw or partially treated sewage or waste, in which stabilization occurs through sunlight, air and microorganisms. Waste Stabilization Ponds (WSP), are also known by the name of oxidation ponds or lagoons. They act as holding basins for secondary wastewater treatment, Here organic matter is decomposed naturally, i.e. biologically. In WSP waste is stabilized and pathogens reduced through the action of bacteria and algae. The process aims to convert organic content of the effluent to more stable forms.

An aeration tank is a place where a liquid is held in order to increase the amount of air within it. The most common uses of aeration tanks are in wastewater recovery, as the high oxygen levels will increase the speed at which the water is cleaned. There are two main methods of aerating liquid: forcing air through the liquid or forcing liquid through the air. Both methods are common, but the aeration tanks are very different between the two types.

Original Query: K.A.S. Mani, APFAGMS, Hyderabad

Posted: 24 February 2006

I am Dr K A S Mani, working with Andhra Pradesh Farmer Managed Groundwater Systems (APFAMGS) Project which is a network of over 650 villages working towards enabling the farmers to manage their groundwater systems in about 638 villages in seven drought prone districts of Andhra Pradesh. The development objective of the project is that farmers in Andhra Pradesh manage their groundwater systems based on annual recharge-draft conditions. Main activities include participatory hydrological monitoring, artificial recharge and sustainable agriculture inputs, capacity building and institutional development. One of the areas being explored by the communities is better management and treatment of waste water, so that it could be re-used for agricultural and other purposes.

“Community involvement makes waste water management a success story in a Maharashtra village” has been written Dr. S V Mapuskar in India Infrastructure Report, published in 2007 by United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). The case study presents the Dhamner village in Satara district of Maharashtra is an example of a success story to undertake measures to manage individual and community waste water with the goal of a cleaner and healthier village.

“Solid and Liquid Waste management in rural areas – a technical note”, which have been developed  and published by the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation (DDWS), Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD) with support from the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). This technical note presents some cost effective technologies of solid and liquid waste disposal and recycling with detailed scientific inputs.