This is for the first time that reuse of water used for domestic purposes has been proposed. Kagathara says instead of completely depending on the Government and civic bodies, people should take the initiative to conserve water. Based on the pattern of rainfall during the last few years, only cyclonic rain has proved helpful to the region. Moreover, with no ground water sources in the entire region except the recent finding in Surendranagar district, water conservation acquires added importance for the region, he says.

The Government is planning to provide Rajkot with water from Narmada and Mahi projects. However, there is no certainty when the region will actually be able to reap the benefits of the schemes. In such a situation, it has become essential to conserve water and reuse it, says Kathagara.

The plan proposed by Kagathara is simple. He says the daily water requirement per person is around 130 litres. Of this, 30 per cent is used in toilets. In comparison to this amount, about 30 litres of water is used daily in bathrooms and washbasin per person. As per the plan, it is proposed that the water used in bathrooms of flats be gathered in a sump, filtered and collected in a overhead tank so that it can be reused to flush toilets. Kagathara opines that since flushing of toilets does not require pure water slight impurities will not pose a problem.

According to him, this scheme can be implemented by providing three types of drainage systems in high-rises -- a pipeline for bath and washbasin water; a pipeline only for flushing toilets; and a pipeline for water used in kitchens. The water from the first and second pipelines can be disposed of through the sewerage system, while the water from the first pipeline can be recycled for further use.

The water recycle plant, according to Kagathara, will consist of setting up a tank and pressure filter. The water from the first pipeline will go to a small tank where it will be filtered with alum. From here, it will go to a settling tank where the silt in the water will be removed and then the water will go to a pressure filter where five per cent of chemical oxygen can be removed by filtration.

This water can then be pumped to the overhead tank and reused in toilets. Though the initial cost of the project will be high at around Rs 1.5 lakh, the cost can be shared by 15 to 20 residents of a building. Once the system is installed, maintenance expenses will not be high, Kagathara says, adding that water conservation and reuse is the only solution to the perennial water scarcity in the region.