Wastewater quality assessment for agricultural use with respect to agronomic and environmental issues

Many communities in most developing countries do not have reliable access to supplies of clean water. As the demand for water increases, making more efficient use of water becomes more important. At the same time the volume of sewage effluent is increasing, and safe disposal can be difficult. The use of reclaimed wastewater for irrigation is the obvious solution, but few people have expertise in the full range of technology involved. Municipal wastewater is made up of domestic wastewater, industrial wastewater, storm water, and by groundwater seepage entering the municipal sewage network which contains organic matter, nutrients, inorganic matter, toxic chemicals and pathogens. Reusing sewage sludge and wastewater in agriculture could have different effects on human healthy, soil and plant characteristics and ground water quality. Thus, wastewater can be considered as both a resource and a problem. In this paper, Opportunities and challenges of using wastewater in agriculture has been discussed.