Investigating Issues and Problems of Using Sewage Effluent in Agriculture

Abstract

The ever-increasing growth of the population and the rapid development of industries are important factors that have caused an increase in water consumption and wastewater production in communities. On the other hand, in countries located in arid and semiarid regions, available water resources are limited. Therefore, the use of non-conventional water resources (sewage) in these countries is becoming more important day by day. The use of wastewater as a permanent source of water in agriculture, in addition to providing a part of water needs, also saves and sustains water resources. In this research, the effluent of the wastewater treatment plant of Arak city in the central province of Iran was studied in order to check its quality and usability in agriculture. The quality of the effluent was compared with the standards. The results of the research showed that the above wastewater has no restrictions for use in agriculture according to the investigated parameters. This text is compiled based on the results of various research studies conducted in different parts of the world. Finally, the challenges and opportunities of using wastewater in agriculture and providing suitable solutions to reduce the problems have been discussed.