ENVIRONMENT and ENERGY
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Efficient irrigation schemes can greatly reduce both water
and fertilizer loss. Nutrients can also be released by livestock
production and aquaculture. Agriculture can be a source of several
other types of pollutants, including organic matter, pathogens,
metals, and emerging pollutants.
Over the last 20 years, new agricultural pollutants have emerged,
such as antibiotics, vaccines, growth promoters, and hormones
that may be released from livestock and aquaculture farms. If
adequately treated and safely applied, domestic wastewater is a
valuable source of both water and nutrients.
In addition to enhancing food security, water reuse for agriculture
can have significant health benefits, including improved nutrition.
Minimizing risks to people and the environment
The discharge of untreated wastewater can have severe impacts
on human and environmental health, including outbreaks of food-,
water- and vector borne diseases, as well as pollution and the loss
of biological diversity and ecosystem services.
Exposure of vulnerable groups, especially women and children,
to partially treated or untreated wastewater requires specific
attention. Limited awareness of health risks associated with
wastewater use, due to poverty and low education, further
contributes to these risks, in particular in developing countries.
Public awareness and social acceptance
Even if wastewater use projects are technically well designed,
appear financially realizable, and have incorporated appropriate
safety measures, water reuse schemes can fail if planners do not
adequately account for the dynamics of social acceptance.
Generally, the use of wastewater encounters strong public
resistance due to a lack of awareness and trust with regard to
human health risks. Awareness raising and education are the
main tools to overcome social, cultural, and consumer barriers.
Such awareness campaigns need to be tailored to consumers with
different cultural and religious backgrounds.
The health risks associated with water reuse need to be assessed,
managed, monitored, and reported on a regular basis in order
to gain public acceptance and to maximize the benefits of using
wastewater while minimizing the negative impacts. In the case of
drinking water (that is, potable water reuse), extensive information
campaigns are required to build trust in the system and overcome
the so-called ‘yuck’ factor. PA
Water, after it has been used, is
all too often seen as a burden
to be disposed of or a nuisance
to be ignored.
September 2017 Volume 23 I Number 7