Canna ( Canna Lily) plant is said to be a genus of nineteen species of flowering plants as per wiki. Even-though they are not a true lily, it is named so. The Canna Lily is a plant that has bright color flowers and it is also an agricultural plant. This Canna lily plant is considered to have the world's richest starch sources. It is tropical American plant which needs at-least 6 to 8 hours of sunlight. Due to this feature, this plant is grown around the world where these condition can be met. The flowers of this plant of usually red, orange or yellow in color.
Images Source : Internet
Uses of Canna Lily :
~ They are widely used in Horticulture and as ornamental plants.
~ The rhizome ( i.e. horizontal underground stem ) of this plant is said to rich in starch which can be consumed by humans. The foliage( plant leaves) is used as animal fodder.
~ The fiber in the stem can be used as a replacement for jute.
~ The seeds are used as beads in jewelry and it is said that a purple dye can also be obtained from these seeds.
~ In Thailand, these Canna plants acts as a traditional gift for Father's day.
~ If you are an ardent bird watcher then it would be an additional treat for you to plant this plant as this plant attracts humming birds.
~ Last but not the least, most importantly, the Canna lily plant can be used to filter the impurities/pollutants.
Now coming to the main crux of this post, the grey water recycling done with the help of this Canna plant can save you from water scarcity. This is what I have read about just few days back.
What is Grey water ?
Grey water is nothing but the waste water that is being produced from baths, sinks and washing machines. This grey water completely differs from black-water which is a sewage. Hence grey water is safe to use and recycle.
Grey water recycling (GWR) :
Grey water recycling (GWR) is done in many ways. The recycled water is used widely used for irrigation purposes , indoor reuse and in critical situations. The vital point to be noted is not all kind of purification methods is potable. Some of the recycling methods were done without purification and some were done with purification.
The grey water recycling process that I have read in 'The Hindu' Newspaper just few days back comes under the recycling method with purification that is done in the biological way which includes this Canna plant as a main source for purification.
Here's the link from 'The Hindu' newspaper where I read about this process :
http://www.thehindu.com/features/homes-and-gardens/
If you go through that entire article, you can understand how much benefits we would get through this process. It is mentioned that this GWR process was already mentioned along with the rain water harvesting system that was implemented in the year 2002. But very few are aware about this till date. Today, almost many cities including Chennai are in quest for uninterrupted water supply especially during the summer. An apartment in Adyar, Chennai is said to be free from this quest as they have implemented this process with the help of the Canna lily plant.
I hope that this process would be a solution for water scarcity, pollution free environment and for an adequate ground water source.
Thanks for reading :)
