Polluted Wastewater for Irrigation in the Mezquital Valley, Mexico

Abstract

Since 1912, it arises one of the irrigation districts oldest and most extensive in the world called "Irrigation District 03" (DR03), and it is in the Mezquital Valley in the State of Hidalgo, Mexico. This area is characterized by the reuse of wastewater from the City of Mexico to irrigation of oats, barley, cauliflower, turnip, wheat, zucchini, green chili, beans, green tomato, corn, and alfalfa, these last two crops being the economic potential in the region. The water coming from the Valley of Mexico is a mixture of urban, industrial, and rain wastewater presents a high load of pollutants organic, inorganic, and microbial contaminants that can be used as nutrients by the crops, increasing the yields of the region. However, health risk could be represented by putting at danger the safety of the food produced in this type of system due to its bioaccumulative properties. In addition to the above, the present work has the purpose of compiling cases studies on chemical contaminants in the agricultural system of the Mezquital Valley. Ranges of 3.9-47.0 mg kg −1 of lead have been reported in soils of the region, pharmaceutical waste (trimethoprim, erythromycin, naproxen, ibuprofen, and diclofenac) in wastewater, 0.9 mg kg −1 of cadmium in alfalfa, and 0.06 mg kg −1 of lead in corn plants among other compounds and pollutants. Consequently, it is essential to cover this demand without stopping economic development considering as a basis of the sustainable development and rational use of wastewater used for agricultural irrigation.