Wastewater reuse for agriculture

The present paper is based on a literature review and aims to tackle the most important aspects regarding the topic wastewater reuse with focusing on reuse in agriculture. Still in some countries the institutional and legal framework is weak or not existent or only referring to international standards (guidelines or laws) which are very general and most of the times demand very cost intensive solutions. Wastewater treatment and use in agriculture is presented as a guide to the use of treated effluent for irrigation. The practice of using untreated wastewater for irrigation is widespread but has been largely ignored because the norm has always been that wastewater should be treated before use. Increasing water scarcity, lack of money for treatment and a clear willingness by farmers to use untreated wastewater have led to an uncontrolled expansion of wastewater use. Next to the development of new management strategies to supply fresh water, the issue of treating and recycling wastewater will play an important role in tackling the existing and occurring problems. Here the shortage of water is usually the main driving force for conservation of water. It is therefore important to better document the practice of irrigation with untreated wastewater in order to find out how it could be improved within the financial possibilities of very low-income countries. An integrated planning approach is therefore necessary in case reuse of wastewater shall be one management alternative in a water stressed

کلیدواژه ها:

Reuse of Wastewater ، Agriculture ، Irrigation ، Treatment