Browsing by Author "Raschid-Sally, Liqa"

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Drivers and Characteristics of Wastewater Agriculture in Developing Countries: Results from a Global Assessment
(2008) Raschid-Sally, Liqa; Jayakody, Priyantha
"In 4 out of 5 cities in developing countries, wastewater is used to cultivate perishable crops for urban markets. Such practices create a health risk but provide important livelihood benefits. This study through an analysis of 53 cities in developing countries, contributes to understanding the factors that drive wastewater use. The main drivers are (1) increasing urban water demand without wastewater treatment causing pollution of irrigation water sources; (2) urban food demand favoring agriculture close to cities where water sources are polluted; and (3) lack of cheaper, similarly reliable or safer water sources. Poverty, which constrains the infrastructure needs of urbanization, is an added factor. The study makes policy recommendations stressing on, effectively applying the WHO guidelines, linking investments in water supply with sanitation for maximum beneficial impact on water pollution, and involving actors at both the national and local level, for water quality improvements and health risk reduction."
A Framework for Analysing Socioeconomic, Health and Environmental Impacts of Wastewater Use in Agriculture in Developing Countries
(2001) Hussain, Intizar; Raschid-Sally, Liqa; Hanjra, Munir A.; Marikar, Fuard; Van Der Hoek, Wim
"A major drawback of India's agriculture, watershed development and irrigation strategy has been the neglect of relatively wetter catchment areas and the tribal people living therein. Investing in small-scale interventions for improved water control can produce a dramatic impact on the productivity and dependability of tribal livelihood systems."
Recycling Realities: Managing Health Risks to Make Wastewater an Asset
(2006) Drechsel, Pay; Raschid-Sally, Liqa; Williams, Sandy; Weale, Jim
"Irrigation with polluted water or wastewater is a widespread reality, especially in low-income countries where it is popularly used for vegetable cultivation. Yet many policymakers are unaware of the significance of the practice and the benefits it can bring. Nor do they know that practical recommendations are now available to make wastewater use safer and more sustainable without relying on non-affordable treatment technologies alone."
Urban Wastewater: A Valuable Resource for Agriculture A Case Study from Haroonabad, Pakistan
(2002) Van Der Hoek, Wim; ul Hassan, Mehmood; Ensink, Jeroen H. J.; Feenstra, Sabiena; Raschid-Sally, Liqa; Munir, Sarfraz; Aslam, M. Rizwan; Ali, Nazim; Hussain, Raheela; Matsuno, Yutaka
"Farming communities in water-scarce regions increasingly practice the use of urban wastewater in agriculture. Untreated urban wastewater is generally considered unacceptable for direct use because of potential health risks. However, in many parts of the world, poor farmers in peri-urban areas use untreated wastewater. This practice is likely to continue in the foreseeable future due to the high investment cost associated with the installation of treatment facilities. In order to systematically document the advantages and disadvantages of using untreated urban wastewater, a case study was undertaken in Haroonabad, which is a small town in the southern Punjab in Pakistan. Information on costs and benefits associated with wastewater use was obtained by monitoring a group of 20 wastewater farmers and a group of 20 non-wastewater farmers over a one-year period. Water and nutrient applications and the quality of groundwater and soil were investigated in nine fields, of which some were irrigated with wastewater and others with regular canal water. To assess the human health impacts, a comparison was done between a settlement where wastewater irrigation was practiced and one where regular canal water was used. "The greatest benefit for farmers using wastewater was the reliable water supply, which allowed them to grow high-value vegetable crops. However, water and nutrient applications to wastewater-irrigated fields were excessive in relation to the recommended values. From this we can deduce that, with the improved distribution of wastewater, more farmers could benefit from the water and the nutrients it contains. Although there were signs of accumulation of heavy metals in wastewater-irrigated soils, the values did not exceed internationally recommended standards. However, there were negative health impacts, especially in the form of an increased prevalence of hookworm infections among wastewater farmers. "Irrigation with untreated wastewater is practiced in most cities in Pakistan because of its high productivity. Wastewater use also has an indirect benefit associated with the reduction of pollutants discharged into natural watercourses. The study concludes that there is a need to identify methods to prevent or lower the health risks associated with the use of untreated urban wastewater while maintaining or increasing its socioeconomic and environmental benefits under the prevailing social and economic conditions."
Wastewater Reuse in Agriculture in Vietnam: Water Management, Environment and Human Health Aspects
(2001) Raschid-Sally, Liqa; Van Der Hoek, Wim; Ranawaka, Mala
"This working paper contains the proceedings of the workshop that was organized on 14 March 2001 in Hanoi, gathering experts from the various disciplines such as health, environment, water resources management, irrigation, agriculture, soil sciences, water quality, etc. to discuss the findings of 16 papers on different aspects of wastewater reuse. The proceedings of this workshop are presented here in summary form, which we hope will provide a bird's-eye view of the current knowledge in Vietnam on this subject to a wide spectrum of interested persons."
Wastewater use in Agriculture: Review of Impacts and Methodological Issues in Valuing Impacts
(2002) Hussain, Intizar; Raschid-Sally, Liqa; Hanjra, Munir A.; Marikar, Fuard; Van Der Hoek, Wim
"The objective of this paper is to provide a review of the characteristics of wastewater used for irrigation, and the reasoning behind the international guidelines presently used in regulating wastewater reuse for agriculture.This paper presents various systems of wastewater treatment available and discusses their benefits and shortcomings.Finally, the paper provides the review of environmental valuation techniques for analyzing impacts of wastewater uses in agriculture, and suggest a framework for application of some of these techniques. This framework will be applied to a developing country case study (Faisalabad area in Pakistan), in the ongoing IWMI research program."