Reuse ablution water: Shahi Masjid Imam tells state mosques

Hyderabad: As Telangana braces for the effects of El Niño, Shahi Masjid Khateeb and Islamic scholar Maulana Ahsan al Hamoomi has urged mosques across the state to adopt systems to harvest and reuse wastewater.

Maulana al Hamoomi said that a lot of worshippers perform ablutions before praying. Cleanliness is a core principle of Islam, he said to The Hindu, and Prophet Muhammad emphasised the careful use of water.

Elaborating on his solution to beat water scarcity, he said, “The government has been speaking of the effects of El Niño, the paucity of rains…but we can do our bit to recharge groundwater levels.”

He outlined two measures: rainwater harvesting pits and structures to collect water used for ablution at mosques. The latter, he said, would allow the water to seep into the ground and help recharge groundwater. He added that mosque management need not worry about filtration, as the process occurs naturally.

The Shahi Masjid has rainwater- and used-water harvesting pits, he said. Throughout the year, people donate Quran, prayer mats, and even skull caps to the masjid, the Maulana said, but now was the time to help masjids build used-water management pits.

“Such donations have their reward in the afterlife,” he said, adding that 20-30 per cent of worshippers wash their hands, face, and feet as a part of their ablutions. “Instead of the water going into the sewage system, it can go into used-water harvesting pits.”

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