TS RERA No.P02400003403.
Organo Editorial

Becoming a Net Zero Water Community:

-Vaishnavi Paturu

Our upcoming communities are being designed to be Net Zero Water (NZW). A NZW community relies minimally on external water sources and depends heavily on rainwater and treated wastewater to meet the overall water demands. An ideal net zero water building uses on-site alternative water sources to supply all the building's water needs.

There are three primary sources of water consumption envisaged in our upcoming communities such as domestic consumption for homes and common amenities, irrigation for farming and landscaping and animal husbandry. 

The domestic water requirements are catered through rainwater stored in the dug well and municipal water. The rainwater collected is further treated through a water treatment plant and most part of the community’s water demand is for farming and landscaping, which varies from season to season. The landscaping requirement in the eco-habitat is completely offset through treated wastewater. The water for the farming is sourced from the large dug wells that are constructed within the community

Picture 1: Drip irrigation lines running through collective farming area

Dug Well

Water resilience is a big goal we are trying to reach.

To accomplish this, we are looking at various ways in which surface rainwater run off can be tapped.

Although ground water sources can be reached if we go deep enough, we do not want to do that.

At 1000 feet below the ground, we reach confined aquifers. These acquirers are blocked by rock layers above and below. Any water that is taken out of these aquifers are not easily replenished. It takes decades for the water to reach these deep reservoirs.

One way to recharge these deep aquifers is to put water back in the same borewells or similar borewells from which we are pulling water out.

Although this creates a somewhat sustainable solution, there is no guarantee that the water we put in will come back to us as these underground aquifers are spread across hundreds of acres of area.

There may come a time where the surrounding farmers continuously pull water out and we don’t reap any benefits from our efforts.

To become drought resilient, the best option is to capture as much rainfall as possible within the boundaries of our community.

This is where our dug wells come into picture. They act as a buffer - a battery bank for water

Picture 2: Dug well at our upcoming rurban community- Organo Antharam

During times of extreme drought, the community shall manage water better using this reserve which is non-existent in other communities.

During drought, depending on the severity, strategies are being formulated on how to use this water.

Zero Discharge Community

The wastewater generated from homes and common spaces is diverted into a Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) and treated to tertiary level. In Rurban communities, the treated wastewater is directly used for landscaping due to high demand, instead of diverting it to flushing water in homes. The treated wastewater is rich in nutrients and improves soil fertility. Also, the sludge generated as by-product of this process is sun dried and mixed with soil. 

About Organo Eco Habitats

At Organo we co-create eco-habitats that celebrate living. Eco-habitats are sustainable communities which offer an intersection of urban conveniences and rural experiences providing a way of life integrated with nature and focussed on wellbeing.

Organo creates integrated holistic living environments, where the residents can take part in collective natural farming and witness the food they eat. Having already delivered India's first rurban commune- Organo Naandi, Organo is coming up with a 182-unit eco-habitat called Organo Antharam near Chevella.

To know more about our eco-habitat communities please call 9071123446 or write to us on info@organo.co.in.

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