Planning for Integrative Management of Wastewater Disposal, Irrigation Water Supply and Fertilizer Use: A Case Study in an Arid Land of China

Abstract

This work is a trans-disciplinary undertaking aiming at innovative water management in arid and semi-arid regions. Based on field studies on soil bacterial communities and irrigation water quality in an arid region of China where wastewater has been used for agricultural production decade long, this paper is intended to propose an integrative management scheme combining wastewater reuse in agriculture, wise use of wetlands and fertilizer management as an engine toward achieving sustainable development in arid and semi-arid regions. This study was also designed to address a key but very much neglected question about wastewater reuse in irrigation: does wastewater irrigation lead to reduction of chemical fertilizer use and increase of crop yield? Through a questionnaire, it revealed that there was a misperception among farmers about wastewater, which led to no-reduction or even increase in fertilizer use with wastewater irrigation as compared with river water irrigation. It also showed that crop yield was not increased with wastewater irrigation under the current practice. Besides, it sheds some light on an underreported health concern.