Constructed wetland for improved wastewater management and increased water use efficiency in resource scarce SAT villages: a case study from Kothapally village, in India

Abstract

Evaluation a field-scale of constructed wetland (CW) for the treatment of rural wastewater (WW), in resource-scarce semi-arid tropic (SAT) villages, to provide improved wastewater management and increased water use efficiency, was the main objective of this study. A CW was commissioned in Kothapally village of Telangana to treat the wastewater generated from 100 households. The CW was vegetated with Typha latifolia and Canna indica. Average COD, sulfate and inorganic nitrogen removal efficiencies observed were 65%, 60% and 67% respectively, for the study period (one year). Removal efficiency for total coliform was consistently above 80%. The treated wastewater was stored in a farm pond and was utilized for irrigation in the nearby agricultural fields (0.6 ha). This perennial source of water, helped the nearby farmers to cultivate two additional crops, chickpea during rabi and sweetcorn during summer. The assured availability of water reduced their vulnerability to dry spells during the kharif by providing means for lifesaving irrigation. The biomass harvested from the constructed wetland was used as fodder for the livestock. A net additional income of Rs.70,000 ($US$1,000) was realized by the farmers using the treated wastewater for cultivation. Similar constructed wetland-based wastewater management system can be scaled up across water scarce semi-arid tropics. Novelty statement Field-scale performance evaluation of constructed wetland based wastewater treatment in a semiarid tropic village is scarce in the literature. The work presented gives a feasibility assessment for this technology critical for its wide-scale application to augment rural wastewater management in resource poor villages.

Elevated levels of anthropogenic antibiotic resistance gene marker, sul1, linked with extreme fecal contamination and poor water quality in wastewater‐receiving ponds

“…was typically not used for drinking or fishing and was only occasionally used for irrigation (Datta et al, 2021;Maiga et al, 2015). In the water, sediment, and adjoining soil samples, we quantified the DNA markers of the fecal indicator (Escherichia coli) to investigate the persistence of fecal bacteria; 16S rRNA gene copies to track the trends in the total bacterial count; and the anthropogenic antibiotic resistance gene markers-intI1, sul1, to investigate the overall trends in antibiotic resistance potential in WRPs.…”

“…We sampled seven WRPs and contrasted them with two ponds (sites H and I) that did not directly receive domestic wastewater and were used for irrigation (P–I) and pisciculture (P–P), respectively. We observed that the water from the targeted WRPs was typically not used for drinking or fishing and was only occasionally used for irrigation (Datta et al., 2021; Maiga et al., 2015). In the water, sediment, and adjoining soil samples, we quantified the DNA markers of the fecal indicator ( Escherichia coli ) to investigate the persistence of fecal bacteria; 16S rRNA gene copies to track the trends in the total bacterial count; and the anthropogenic antibiotic resistance gene markers— int I1, sul 1, to investigate the overall trends in antibiotic resistance potential in WRPs.…”

Constructed Wetlands as Domestic Decentralized Wastewater Treatment Systems - A Systematic Review

“…However, it has to be noted that from the 55 studies in the review, only 12 out rightly mentioned water reuse. As mentioned in the studies, the most reuse activity for the water from CWs is irrigation, with 12 mentions (Andreo-Martínez et al, 2017;Ayaz et al, 2015;Bekkari et al, 2022;Datta et al, 2021;Fountoulakis et al, 2017;Kilingo et al, 2022;Muduli et al, 2022;Nivala, Abdallat, et al, 2019;Oliveira et al, 2021;Paulo et al, 2013;Shingare et al, 2017;Song et al, 2021). The second most cited activity was landscaping, with three mentions (Bekkari et al, 2022;Kilingo et al, 2022;Oliveira et al, 2021); the reuse of purified effluent for urban green spaces and golf courses is widespread, as illustrated by (Bekkari et al, 2022) in the village of Temacine, Algeria.…”

“…Biomass use was one of the other interesting issues in the studies. The nutrient-rich plants used in CWs, according to the studies by (Datta et al, 2021;Oliveira et al, 2021), can be used as livestock fodder. This is clearly illustrated in the city of Kothapally, India, where 500 kgs of biomass were harvested after 45 days and were used to feed the livestock of the nearby farmers (Datta et al, 2021).…”

Performance enhancement of constructed wetlands for wastewater remediation by modifications and integration of technologies: A review

“…[20][21][22] Similarly, a lot of work at the lab and pilot scale has been done on different types of macrophytes and also to ascertain the role of microorganisms in CW for escalating the efficiency of treatment. 3,[23][24][25][26] Research related to the mode of operation like changes in the flow pattern, different methods of aeration, recirculation, and so on, 5,[27][28][29] and operational factors like change in depth, variation in hydraulic loading rate, and different hydraulic retention time has also proved to be of importance in improving the efficiency of the system, [30][31][32][33] and have been studied extensively.…”