Techniques to Decrease the Sanitation Risks Associated with Wastewater Irrigation

Abstract

Opening Paragraph|The recycling of wastewater has been practiced for over 3 millennia in order to irrigate or fertilize crops. Over the past 20 years, the practice of wastewater recycling has become much more common as society seeks to solve the issue of water-scarcity, a problem partly attributed to lack of freshwater as well as the contamination of some freshwater sources due to the rapid growth of urban areas. When the need for freshwater becomes too great, authorities would rather direct the freshwater resources to urban centers that have more economic value than toward rural agricultural pursuits which may not be as lucrative. Today, the use of wastewater for irrigation has become a viable alternative that not only allows the urban areas to have enough freshwater but also provides agricultural communities with a water source for irrigation.