Sweet wastewater: Irrigating sugarcane with soapberry effluent – Rio Cobre, Jamaica

Wastewater reuse for irrigation is common in countries faced with water supply shortages. The Rio Cobre Basin of Jamaica is faced with water supply shortages because of the competing uses of the limited resources of the basin. The research investigated whether an integrated water resources management (IWRM) approach of reusing the treated effluent from Soapberry wastewater treatment plant to irrigate sugarcane would better manage the water resources of the basin. Assessment of the quality of the treated effluent and its suitability for sugarcane irrigation; farmers’ acceptance of using wastewater for irrigation; wastewater volumes and sugarcane water requirements; were done through document analysis, semi-structured interviews and literature review. The findings established that Soapberry can be safely used for irrigation, meeting 71% of crop water requirement; farmers’ accepted the use of treated effluent for irrigation; and the proposed effluent reuse scheme is economically viable but financial viability is limited by funding options.