stages of treatment (initial or influents, intermediate and discharge, or effluents) in
samples collected from 4 WWTPs in Western Australia, in which 3 WWTPs were
used as stabilization ponds and one WWTP was used as activated sludge treatment
technology. For next-generation sequencing (NGS), 18s rRNA of eukaryotic pathogen from wastewater as well as the mammalian blocking primer were used for
reducing mammalian DNA amplification in wastewater. With the help of bioinformatics, 49 eukaryotic phyla were detected in wastewater samples, in which 3 phyla
of human intestinal parasites, which were primarily detected in raw wastewater. Six
subtypes of Blastocystis sp. and 4 Entamoeba sp. were identified by 18s NGS, but
Giardia sp. and Cryptosporodium sp. were not detected. Real-time polymerase chain
reaction was failed to detect Giardia sp. but detected Cryptosporidium sp. in
WWTPs with the help of specific NGS. NGS is a more specific and reliable approach
for detection of pathogen in wastewater and could be used in assessment of wastewater pathogen in future.
6.6 Conclusions
Rapid growth in population, urbanization, industrialization, and socio-economic
development enlarge the gap between water availability and demand, particularly
in semi-arid and arid area. Such problem can be avoided by enhancing water use
efficiency or use of wastewater, i.e., domestic wastewater, storm runoff, and industrial effluents as an alternative water source. Long-term wastewater irrigation negatively affects the soil quality, e.g., salinization, reduced porosity, infiltration and
hydraulic conductivity of soil, water repellency, reduced high bulk density, heavy
metal contamination, and groundwater pollution. Agriculture sector is the major
consumer of wastewater and considered not only as a valuable water resource but
also has nutritive value. However, in the current scenario, safe use of wastewater is a
matter of major concern as it is contaminated with potentially toxic elements. There
should be development of suitable strategies for efficient and reliable use of wastewater and for reducing its negative impact on ecosystems, especially for waterscarce areas. In this chapter, wastewater availability and reuse at global and regional
levels are briefly summarized and composition and characterization of wastewater
are also highlighted. Long-term wastewater irrigation can adversely affect the
physicochemical and biological properties of soil and pose risk to safety and quality
of food through food chain contamination. Different control measures, i.e., physical,
biological, and molecular for removing contaminants from wastewater are also
discussed in brief. Abatement of contaminants in the wastewater irrigated soil
using inorganic and organic amendments, bacterial inoculants, and cycling with
qualitative water can provide a future research direction for developing eco-friendly,
economically, and efficient management strategies for sustainable use of wastewater
in agriculture. Success of sustainable wastewater reuse in different sectors of society
mostly depends on public acceptance, public-private partnership model, and awareness spread by government and non-government organizations.
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P. K. Singh and R. K. Sharma
samples collected from 4 WWTPs in Western Australia, in which 3 WWTPs were
used as stabilization ponds and one WWTP was used as activated sludge treatment
technology. For next-generation sequencing (NGS), 18s rRNA of eukaryotic pathogen from wastewater as well as the mammalian blocking primer were used for
reducing mammalian DNA amplification in wastewater. With the help of bioinformatics, 49 eukaryotic phyla were detected in wastewater samples, in which 3 phyla
of human intestinal parasites, which were primarily detected in raw wastewater. Six
subtypes of Blastocystis sp. and 4 Entamoeba sp. were identified by 18s NGS, but
Giardia sp. and Cryptosporodium sp. were not detected. Real-time polymerase chain
reaction was failed to detect Giardia sp. but detected Cryptosporidium sp. in
WWTPs with the help of specific NGS. NGS is a more specific and reliable approach
for detection of pathogen in wastewater and could be used in assessment of wastewater pathogen in future.
6.6 Conclusions
Rapid growth in population, urbanization, industrialization, and socio-economic
development enlarge the gap between water availability and demand, particularly
in semi-arid and arid area. Such problem can be avoided by enhancing water use
efficiency or use of wastewater, i.e., domestic wastewater, storm runoff, and industrial effluents as an alternative water source. Long-term wastewater irrigation negatively affects the soil quality, e.g., salinization, reduced porosity, infiltration and
hydraulic conductivity of soil, water repellency, reduced high bulk density, heavy
metal contamination, and groundwater pollution. Agriculture sector is the major
consumer of wastewater and considered not only as a valuable water resource but
also has nutritive value. However, in the current scenario, safe use of wastewater is a
matter of major concern as it is contaminated with potentially toxic elements. There
should be development of suitable strategies for efficient and reliable use of wastewater and for reducing its negative impact on ecosystems, especially for waterscarce areas. In this chapter, wastewater availability and reuse at global and regional
levels are briefly summarized and composition and characterization of wastewater
are also highlighted. Long-term wastewater irrigation can adversely affect the
physicochemical and biological properties of soil and pose risk to safety and quality
of food through food chain contamination. Different control measures, i.e., physical,
biological, and molecular for removing contaminants from wastewater are also
discussed in brief. Abatement of contaminants in the wastewater irrigated soil
using inorganic and organic amendments, bacterial inoculants, and cycling with
qualitative water can provide a future research direction for developing eco-friendly,
economically, and efficient management strategies for sustainable use of wastewater
in agriculture. Success of sustainable wastewater reuse in different sectors of society
mostly depends on public acceptance, public-private partnership model, and awareness spread by government and non-government organizations.
140
P. K. Singh and R. K. Sharma