Urban growth and wastewater agriculture: A study from Sri Lanka

Abstract

Rapid urbanization and increasing water consumption accelerate wastewater generation in cities in less developed regions. This has resulted in an intensification of the water pollution problem, which is now no longer, simply an issue for environmentalists to deal with, but which irrigation engineers are being called upon to tackle. Three cities in Sri Lanka were used to demonstrate the global situation. Data was collected using open-ended questionnaires covering a variety of issues associated with urbanization. Results show that the simple application of wastewater on surrounding agricultural lands has the potential to increase the cropping intensity. Out of three cities, Kurunegala paddy farmers use diluted wastewater for their irrigation. Better nutrient management in the field will help farmers to optimize fertilizer application. Health risk is the main negative force for wastewater agriculture. With risk reduction measures, wastewater recycling in agriculture becomes a potentially viable solution to waste disposal