Sustainable and Safe Use
of Wastewater for Food Production
in Peri-urban Areas of Karnataka,
India
Girija Ramakrishna and Matti Hanisch
Abstract
Agriculture in India is facing a deep crisis due
to deficient rainfall and the increasing cost of
inputs such as fertilizers and irrigation water.
The use of wastewater for food production in
peri-urban areas plays an important role in
feeding cities and ensuring urban resilience.
However, the main concern is the health risks
associated with the usage of raw wastewater.
This paper reviews existing wastewater use
practices in food production in the peri-urban
areas of the Hubli–Dharwad region (Karnataka, India). The main challenge faced by
these twin cities is the lack of adequate
sewerage infrastructure. The farmers located
in the periphery of Dharward have been using
wastewater for irrigation for more than three
decades, and they are well aware of the
benefits. In this study, the risks associated
with untreated wastewater use for agriculture
are assessed through literature review, farmer
and practitioner knowledge and field experiences. The major risks associated with
wastewater use in agriculture in the study
area were found to be medical waste followed
by pesticides, weedicides usage and risks
implied by mosquitoes and flies. There was
limited knowledge among the farmers on the
safety measures to be taken during the application of wastewater to the farmlands. The
study documents the best practices of farmers
and suggests the safety measures based on
literature review and field experiences, concluding minimal and cost-effective on-farm
treatment technologies reduce the pathogen
load and minimize health risks. The study also
recommends conducting a quantitative risk
assessment for the safe use of wastewater in
agriculture.
Keywords
Wastewater irrigation Á Nexus approach Á
Safety measures Á On-site measures
1 Introduction
Wastewater is increasingly being used for agriculture, especially in areas of water scarcity.
There is also a growing recognition of the value
of wastewater as a source of both water and
nutrients. Wastewater is considered a reliable
source of water for irrigation throughout the year
(Drechsel et al. 2010). However, there are risks
associated with wastewater usage. Hazards
G. Ramakrishna (&)
Consortium for DEWATS Dissemination
(CDD) Society, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
e-mail: girija.r@cddindia.org
M. Hanisch
CDD-BORDA (Bremen Overseas Research and
Development Association), Bremen, Germany
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
S. Hülsmann and M. Jampani (eds.), A Nexus Approach for Sustainable Development,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-57530-4_4
39
of Wastewater for Food Production
in Peri-urban Areas of Karnataka,
India
Girija Ramakrishna and Matti Hanisch
Abstract
Agriculture in India is facing a deep crisis due
to deficient rainfall and the increasing cost of
inputs such as fertilizers and irrigation water.
The use of wastewater for food production in
peri-urban areas plays an important role in
feeding cities and ensuring urban resilience.
However, the main concern is the health risks
associated with the usage of raw wastewater.
This paper reviews existing wastewater use
practices in food production in the peri-urban
areas of the Hubli–Dharwad region (Karnataka, India). The main challenge faced by
these twin cities is the lack of adequate
sewerage infrastructure. The farmers located
in the periphery of Dharward have been using
wastewater for irrigation for more than three
decades, and they are well aware of the
benefits. In this study, the risks associated
with untreated wastewater use for agriculture
are assessed through literature review, farmer
and practitioner knowledge and field experiences. The major risks associated with
wastewater use in agriculture in the study
area were found to be medical waste followed
by pesticides, weedicides usage and risks
implied by mosquitoes and flies. There was
limited knowledge among the farmers on the
safety measures to be taken during the application of wastewater to the farmlands. The
study documents the best practices of farmers
and suggests the safety measures based on
literature review and field experiences, concluding minimal and cost-effective on-farm
treatment technologies reduce the pathogen
load and minimize health risks. The study also
recommends conducting a quantitative risk
assessment for the safe use of wastewater in
agriculture.
Keywords
Wastewater irrigation Á Nexus approach Á
Safety measures Á On-site measures
1 Introduction
Wastewater is increasingly being used for agriculture, especially in areas of water scarcity.
There is also a growing recognition of the value
of wastewater as a source of both water and
nutrients. Wastewater is considered a reliable
source of water for irrigation throughout the year
(Drechsel et al. 2010). However, there are risks
associated with wastewater usage. Hazards
G. Ramakrishna (&)
Consortium for DEWATS Dissemination
(CDD) Society, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
e-mail: girija.r@cddindia.org
M. Hanisch
CDD-BORDA (Bremen Overseas Research and
Development Association), Bremen, Germany
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
S. Hülsmann and M. Jampani (eds.), A Nexus Approach for Sustainable Development,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-57530-4_4
39