Designing Sustainable Wastewater Reuse Systems: Towards an Agroecology of Wastewater Irrigation - Governing the Nexus: Water, Soil and Waste Resources Considering Global Change - page 149

Fig. 1 Environmental classification of excreta-related diseases important in wastewater-irrigated
agriculture. Source Scheierling et al. ( 2010 : 24)

considered. At present, much of the world is untreated wastewater is disposed of into

open water bodies such as the nearest river. Once this happens, there is little control
over what happens to pollutants in this wastewater. Thus, untreated wastewater is
linked to potential risks irrespective of whether it is used in agriculture.
What is more

'

and even though risks of wastewater irrigation continue to be the
main focus of scientists, planners and decision-makers

—

— potential bene ts of the

practice have received more attention in recent years.
Using wastewater for agricultural irrigation allows for addressing simultaneously
the challenges of irrigation water scarcity and of unsafe sanitation. Other challenges
can be integrated as well: in principle, wastewater reuse also offers possibilities of
creating income, contributing to food sovereignty and the creation of renewable
energy (through the production of energy crops and biogassi cation of wastewater

sludges). Some additional bene ts of the practice are given in Box 3.

Box 3: Potential bene ts of wastewater irrigation

If properly managed, wastewater irrigation can have a range of bene ts

including the following:

￿ Reliable source of irrigation water for farmers.

￿ Recycling of nutrients dissolved in the wastewater resulting in higher

agricultural yields. This often allows wastewater farmers to stop using
mineral fertilizers and thus save money.