Citation
Drechsel, Pay. 2024. Greywater use for food security in refugee camps: a guidance note for risk management. Colombo, Sri Lanka: International Water Management Institute (IWMI). 12p. (IWMI Water Issue Brief 34). [doi: https://doi.org/10.5337/2024.239]
Key messages
- Irrigating vegetables with greywater can support balanced diets and improve nutrition in refugee camps. It is an important adaptation strategy to water scarcity and helps to prioritize the use of limited freshwater resources.
- Minimizing risk from water reuse for human and environmental health is mandatory where population densities and risks of epidemics are high, such as in the humanitarian aid context.
- There are low-space options for irrigated gardening and different levels of risk reduction, both applicable to refugee camps.
- This review suggests a decision tree for guiding greywater (or wastewater) use while emphasizing that risk assessment and mitigation opportunities will vary between locations and types of camps.
- For the adoption of water reuse options, a high level of stakeholder involvement is needed from the start, where women will play a crucial role from crop selection to risk reduction.