Opportunities and Challenges of Using Treated Wastewater in Agriculture

Alkhamisi, S. A.; Ahmed, Mushtaque

doi:10.1007/978-3-319-05768-2_7

Cited by 8 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 6 publications

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“…Most of the treatment plants are located away from the agricultural areas for environmental concerns; therefore, transportation of TWW from sewage treatment plants to the farming areas becomes a risky and costly business. The technical risks in the shipping of TWW from plants to farmer fields may include failure of pumps, leakages, and maintenance of pressure in delivery pipes to regulate flow rates [5]. In the case of underground piping systems, digging costs are high due to the nature of soils present in GCC countries.…”

Section: Challenges Of Wastewater Use For Agriculture In the Gcc Countriesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The wastewater treated at the tertiary level (as is the case in most GCC countries) is considered highly safe for use in agriculture if proper soil and crop management practices are adopted. The use of TWW can help in the conservation of freshwater resources and improved economic efficiency of investments in wastewater disposal and irrigation [5]. The presence of organic matter and micronutrients in the TWW may contribute to decreasing nitrogen and phosphate fertilizer requirements.…”

Section: Prospects Of Wastewater Use In the Gcc Countriesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Most of the GCC countries lack financial resources for sustainable collection, treatment, and distribution of wastewater. At present, treated wastewater is supplied free of cost to end-users as a no tariff system exists in the GCC countries except Kuwait, which charges farmers a token fee for the use of wastewater [5]. Due to the growing monetary burden, many GCC countries are considering taking help from international donors to operate and maintain their wastewater facilities and to upgrade and replace old plants with the new systems.…”

Section: Prospects Of Wastewater Use In the Gcc Countriesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Rapid urbanization and increasing living standards have further exacerbated the problem. Although arable land in GCC countries is averaging only 4.3% of the total land area, average water use for agriculture is 70% of the renewable water resources and is even higher in Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Oman [5,6]. Despite this water use, the average contribution of agriculture to the gross domestic product (GDP) is only 0.8%.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Challenges and Prospects of Using Treated Wastewater to Manage Water Scarcity Crises in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Countries

Qureshi

2020

Water

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The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries are located in the driest part of the world with an annual per capita water availability of 500 m3 compared to the world average of 6000 m3. Agricultural water demand, which is more than 80% of the total water consumption, is primarily met through the massive exploitation of groundwater. The enormous imbalance between groundwater discharge (27.8 billion m3) and recharge (5.3 billion m3) is causing the excessive lowering of groundwater levels. Therefore, GCC countries are investing heavily in the production of nonconventional water resources such as desalination of seawater and treated wastewater. Currently, 439 desalination plants are annually producing 5.75 billion m3 of desalinated water in the GCC countries. The annual wastewater collection is about 4.0 billion m3, of which 73% is treated with the help of 300 wastewater treatment plants. Despite extreme water poverty, only 39% of the treated wastewater is reused, and the remaining is discharged into the sea. The treated wastewater (TWW) is used for the landscape, forestry, and construction industries. However, its reuse to irrigate food and forage crops is restricted due to health, social, religious, and environmental concerns. Substantial research evidence exists that treated wastewater can safely be used to grow food and forage crops under the agroclimatic conditions of the GCC countries by adopting appropriate management measures. Therefore, GCC countries should work on increasing the use of TWW in the agriculture sector. Increased use of TWW in agriculture can significantly reduce the pressure on freshwater resources. For this purpose, a comprehensive awareness campaign needs to be initiated to address the social and religious concerns of farming communities and consumers. Several internal and external risks can jeopardize the sustainable use of treated wastewater in the GCC countries. These include climate change, increasing costs, technological and market-driven changes, and regional security issues. Therefore, effective response mechanisms should be developed to mitigate future risks and threats. For this purpose, an integrated approach involving all concerned local and regional stakeholders needs to be adopted.

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Section: Challenges Of Wastewater Use For Agriculture In the Gcc Countriesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Prospects Of Wastewater Use In the Gcc Countriesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Prospects Of Wastewater Use In the Gcc Countriesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Challenges and Prospects of Using Treated Wastewater to Manage Water Scarcity Crises in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Countries

Qureshi

2020

Water

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“…Heavy metals also lead to health associated problems if its value exceeds permissible limits [9]. Global water scarcity, its competition and the negative influences on human life and the associated environment call for the development of appropriate strategies in wastewater treatment and water management sections [3,8]. On the other hand, water accessibility, appropriateness and sustainability cannot be achieved abruptly via a single step.…”

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confidence: 99%