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Download fileUrban growth and wastewater agriculture: a study from Sri Lanka
conference contribution
posted on 2018-02-12, 15:09 authored by Priyantha Jayakody, Liqa Raschid-Sally, S.A. Abayawardana, M.M. NajimRapid urbanization and increasing water consumption accelerate wastewater generation in cities in less developed
regions. This has resulted in an intensification of the water pollution problem, which is now no longer, simply an issue for
environmentalists to deal with, but which irrigation engineers are being called upon to tackle. Three cities in Sri Lanka were
used to demonstrate the global situation. Data was collected using open-ended questionnaires covering a variety of issues
associated with urbanization. Results show that the simple application of wastewater on surrounding agricultural lands
has the potential to increase the cropping intensity. Out of three cities, Kurunegala paddy farmers use diluted wastewater
for their irrigation. Better nutrient management in the field will help farmers to optimize fertilizer application. Health risk
is the main negative force for wastewater agriculture. With risk reduction measures, wastewater recycling in agriculture
becomes a potentially viable solution to waste disposal.
History
School
- Architecture, Building and Civil Engineering
Research Unit
- Water, Engineering and Development Centre (WEDC)