The effects of wastewater irrigation in Kitwe, Zambia

The concept of using sewage effluent for agricultural production started more than 2000 years ago when crops in Greece were irrigated with such effluent (Pesco and Arar, 1988). While in China the practice has been prevalent for centuries. However, in Zambia, the practice started as soon as conventional sewage works became operational as pointed out by some of the civic workers in the sewage plants. In addition, the effluent was used to irrigate gardens established around the outfalls. All these approaches were meant to boost agricultural production resulting from abundant water and nutrients. The presence of these factors in soil sustains the plant growth and hence generates farmer’s incomes.