Agricultural water reuse in low-income settings: health risks and risk management strategies

dc.creatorKeraita, Bernard N.
dc.creatorDrechsel, Pay
dc.date2016
dc.date2016-03-16T06:07:01Z
dc.date2016-03-16T06:07:01Z
dc.date.accessioned2026-06-27T18:35:22Z
dc.descriptionWastewater may be defined as the combination of liquid wastes discharged from domestic households, farms, institutions, and commercial and industrial establishments eventually mixed with groundwater, surface water, and stormwater. Wastewater is increasingly receiving global attention as it is seen as one of the alternative solutions to increasing global water scarcity. Indeed, wastewater is globally being reused in many applications including groundwater recharge, industrial reuse like for cooling, environmental and recreational uses, nonpotable urban uses, and indirect or direct potable reuse. However, agricultural irrigation and landscaping is by far the largest wastewater use sector. Indeed, millions of farmers worldwide are involved in wastewater irrigation activities. However, wastewater contains a variety of pollutants and contaminants, which may pose health risks if not well managed. These pollutants include salts, metals, metalloids, pathogens, residual drugs, organic compounds, endocrine disruptor compounds, and active residues of personal care products. The kind and extent of health risks depend on many factors including the types and levels of contaminants as well as regional risk relevance. In low-income countries, risks from pathogens receive the most attention. This is because people in these countries are most affected by diseases caused by poor sanitation such as diarrheal diseases and helminth infections, so high loads of pathogenic microorganisms are often found in wastewater systems. Focusing on low-income contexts, this chapter presents health risks posed by wastewater irrigation activities and some practical examples on how these risks could be managed.
dc.identifierhttps://hdl.handle.net/10568/72638
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/123456789/160204
dc.languageen
dc.rightsLimited Access
dc.sourceKeraita, B.; Drechsel, Pay. 2016. Agricultural water reuse in low-income settings: health risks and risk management strategies. In Eslamian, S. (Ed.). Urban water reuse handbook. Boca Raton, FL, USA: CRC Press. pp. 505-512.
dc.subjectagriculture
dc.subjectwater reuse
dc.subjectincome
dc.subjectless favoured areas
dc.subjecthealth hazards
dc.subjectrisk management
dc.subjectirrigation systems
dc.subjectirrigation water
dc.subjectwastewater irrigation
dc.subjectwastewater treatment
dc.subjectfarmers
dc.subjectcrops
dc.subjectpathogens
dc.titleAgricultural water reuse in low-income settings: health risks and risk management strategies
dc.typeBook Chapter

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