Resource information
Wastewater use in agriculture is a
growing practice worldwide. Drivers include increasing water
stress, in part due to climate change; increasing
urbanization and growing wastewater flows; and more urban
households engaged in agricultural activities. The problem
with this trend is that in low-income countries, but also in
many middle-income countries, it either involves the direct
use of untreated wastewater or the indirect use of polluted
waters from rivers that receive untreated urban discharges.
This poses substantial risks, in particular microbial risks
to public health. To address these risks, the World Health
Organization in 2006 issued new guidelines for the safe use
of wastewater.This paper aims to highlight the growing
importance of improving wastewater use in agriculture across
the spectrum from lower to high-income countries. It
presents an innovative approach linking key issues related
to different aspects of wastewater irrigation to a country s
level of economic development. Based on data presented in
the World Bank s World Development Report, it differentiates
between four country income levels to create a typology for
analyzing current issues, trends, and priorities for
improving agricultural wastewater use with a focus on
reducing the risks to public health. It also presents the
basic principles of the new 2006 World Health Organization
Guidelines, and how to apply them. Beyond regulatory
aspects, the paper also discusses other aspects that are
important for achieving a more integrated approach to
agricultural wastewater use, including
institutional/planning, technological, economic/financial,
and social issues. Finally, the paper provides
recommendations for moving the wastewater irrigation agenda forward.
