Sustainable Adopted Wastewater Treatment and Reuse in Agriculture

Abstract

Insufficient water supply is an important problem in arid and semi-arid regions. This problem is magnified further by uneven water distribution and also by water pollution due to the fast growing industry and cities. An innovative and interdisciplinary approach is necessary to reduce this problem. Wastewater treatment should be done cost effectively and reuse of reclaimed wastewater would contribute partially to the solution of the water shortage problem. Efficiency could be achieved by employing adapted technologies in treatment of wastewater. The reclaimed wastewater could be used for irrigating forestry and agriculture. Thus, advanced treatment steps of the reclaimed wastewater would take place in the soil. In this work, Konya (Turkey) is selected as an example of semi-arid land. The city is surrounded by a sparsely populated forest area and agricultural zones, which are cultivated employing irrigation where water is available. Domestic and industrial wastewater of Konya are collected by combining sewerage system and discharged to main drainage channel, which is about 150 km long and discharges wastewater to the salt lake. Characteristic of wastewater was determined. Treatment processes were evaluated in terms of suitability and efficiency for the reuse of effluent as irrigation water for forestry and agriculture. Quality criteria of the reclaimed water were evaluated for reuse as irrigation water.