Skip to main content

Wastewater irrigation along polluted Sabarmati river in the downstream adversely affects crop quality: IWMI study

Sabarmati in the downstream, near Vautha
By Our Representative
Latest study carried out by five experts -- P Amerasinghe, RM Bhardwaj, C Scott, K Jella and F Marshall -- “Urban Wastewater and Agricultural Reuse Challenges in India”, for the International Water Management Institute (IWMI), Colombo, has identified Gujarat as one of the three states which has “some of the most polluted rivers”, adding crops irrigated with wastewaters discharged into Sabarmati in the downstream have adversely affected crop quality along the river.
The other two states are Punjab and Andhra Pradesh. Put out this year, the study is based on household surveys at selected sites in several river basins, including in two kilometres periphery of downstream of the Sabarmati river, which passes through Gujarat’s commercial capital, Ahmedabad. The villages involved in the study are Gyaspur, Asamli, Bakrol, Chitrasar, Fatehpura, Navapura, Rinza, Saorda and Vautha.
The authors says, “Secondary and primary data together with livelihood analyses of farmers from Ahmedabad, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kanpur and Kolkata formed the basis for the analysis. These cities were considered as a representative cross section of the country”. They add, though “wastewater treatment” may have improved in Ahmedabad, and the city’s four sewage treatment plants (STPs) with a capacity to treat 633 million litres per day (MLD), are sufficient to cater to all wastewater, ”infrastructural development lags behind and the plants run below capacity.”
The study says, an overview of water supply and wastewater generation in the case study suggests another major factor, that farming quality by irrigating through wastewater has actually deteriorated in the downstream area of Sabarmati. While respondents that “wastewater provides a reliable water supply”, there was a serious concern on the water of quality. In Ahmedabad, as in Delhi, “the soil fertility had declined and impacted agricultural productivity”. This was attributed to “poor water quality affecting the soils.
In the past, the study said, in villages near Ahmedabad clean river water was available in 90 per cent of the land area. Presently, there is year-round wastewater for irrigation. The quality of farmers cultivating along the cultivating paddy and wheat, fruits and horticultural crops has deteriorated. Agricultural cropping pattern has changed. The study underlines, “Wastewater carries many biological and chemical agents that pose hazards and can impact environmental and human health. Wastewater-related health impacts could be direct or indirect, manifesting as short- or long-term illness episodes.”
It adds, “Most studies tend to look at potential health risks by identifying contaminants in water rather than actual crop contamination and human exposure during farm work or consumption of contaminated food. The state-level Pollution Control Boards in India have the capacity to test a range of these parameters in their routine water-quality monitoring, including physical, chemical and biological parameters such as heavy metals and a variety of pesticides and polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons.” Yet, it laments, “The soil and agricultural products are not monitored routinely although they could be tested on request.”
The study says, wastewater used for agriculture in the cities under study, including Ahmedabad, is “contaminated with sewage, and hospital and industrial wastes at different degrees, and the possible health impacts will depend on the pollution load, irrigation history and level of exposure on the respective sites. The water and soil-quality studies in all four study sites clearly showed the presence of elements that can have potential health impacts.” It underlines, “Impacts were evident in the water-quality parameters. There is plenty of evidence in the literature that particular chemical hazards have to be expected. Water, soil and grain analysis in sites close to Sabarmati river (Ahmedabad) showed elevated levels of some metals (Cd, Cr, Cu) in the river water and chromium and copper in the well water. High levels of lead were found in wheat irrigated with groundwater which was also contaminated.”
As for Delhi, “heavy metals (Cd, Pb and Zn) were a serious concern in and around Delhi, as several studies showed elevated levels (above the Indian standards under the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act) in commonly eaten vegetables like spinach, okra, and cauliflower. In Kanpur and Delhi, the surface water and soils were contaminated with a variety of metals (Cu, Cd, Cr, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn), discharged by small-scale industries which are not monitored stringently.”
It adds, “Responses to the questionnaire revealed that in Delhi, Kolkata and Hyderabad farmers complained of skin irritations, apart from the smell that caused breathing problems, but they did not consider it a major problem. Kolkata farmers were aware of the deteriorating water quality, and were taking precautionary measures to safeguard their skins when engaging in wastewater-related activities, using natural herbs and oils.”
Things were found to be not very different for Ahmedabad and Kanpur, where there is heavy concentration of industry. Here, the “complaints were more pronounced, with visible ulceration, callous tissue formation, heavy skin irritations and dark finger nails. Public health concerns were raised over the high prevalence of helminth ova in commonly consumed vegetables like mint, lettuce, spinach, celery and parsley.”
The study points out, “Although the communities did not complain, the health officials in the hospitals stated that dysentery/diarrhea, worm infections and skin problems were common among the communities, and a good majority did not seek treatment at government hospitals. Therefore, private practitioners and local quacks play an important role in treating these communities. As a result, these episodes never get into the overall health statistics. Epidemiological and microbiological investigations along with health economics studies are required to assess the health risks and economic costs associated with wastewater farming in the communities.”
Another study, which was made last year, “Wastewater Irrigation in Gujarat: An Exploratory Study”, sponsored jointly by IWMI and Ratan Tata Trust, Mumbai, says that the key factors driving increasing use of wastewater are three fold. “First set of driving factors is based on limited availability of freshwater. There is no access to canal water; groundwater is saline; water table has gone very deep and/or diesel costs are too high. The second, and more recent driver of wastewater irrigation expansion is rapid urbanization which has resulted in competition between irrigation needs and municipal demand with priority being given to the later. There is ever-growing sewage generation and its use for irrigation turns out to be a convenient way for cities to dispose off this otherwise unmanageable sewage. The third set of driving factors for expansion in wastewater irrigation is related to farmers' convictions.”
Carried out by Alka Palrecha, Dheeraj Kapoor and Teja Malladi, it says, “Many farmers irrigate with wastewater despite having the option of freshwater irrigation because they are convinced that wastewater is more reliable and accessible throughout the year, cheaper to lift, and more profitable because of its nutrient value leading to higher yields and savings in fertilizer input costs.”
It further says, “A critical factor in wastewater irrigation is that untreated and partially treated water is being applied to land. Its impact needs to be studied especially, on soil quality and groundwater aquifers, where it gets leached. The small holders of land did not have any aversion towards using sewage water for irrigation. They claimed that it does not cause any harm to soil quality as the flow in river naturally cleanses the water and in addition, it is rich in nutrients. On the other hand, large landowners felt that the use of this water may harden the soils due to detergent and other chemicals present in it.”
The authors insist that, given this factor, the “amount and quality of the nutrients present in the wastewater have to be ascertained by technical experts and farmers in order to guarantee proper application. It needs to be discussed by experts, farmers and extension support may be required for making this knowledge available. Currently, conventional irrigation techniques of either flood or furrow irrigation are used to irrigate with wastewater. Micro irrigation technology is not suitable for using wastewater. Hence, suitable irrigation technique needs to be explored.”

Comments

TRENDING

'Enough evidence' in Indian tradition to support legal basis for same-sex marriage

By Iyce Malhotra, Joseph Mathai, Sandeep Chachra*  The ongoing hearing in the Supreme Court on same-sex marriage provides space for much-needed conversations on issues that have hitherto remained “invisible” or engaged with patriarchal locker room humour. We must recognize that people with diverse sexualities and complex gender identities have faced discrimination, stigma and decades of oppression. Their issues have mainly remained buried in dominant social discourse, and many view them with deep insecurities.

Buddhist shrines were 'massively destroyed' by Brahmanical rulers: Historian DN Jha

Nalanda mahavihara By Our Representative Prominent historian DN Jha, an expert in India's ancient and medieval past, in his new book , "Against the Grain: Notes on Identity, Intolerance and History", in a sharp critique of "Hindutva ideologues", who look at the ancient period of Indian history as "a golden age marked by social harmony, devoid of any religious violence", has said, "Demolition and desecration of rival religious establishments, and the appropriation of their idols, was not uncommon in India before the advent of Islam".

Victim of communal violence, Christians in Manipur want Church leadership to speak up

By Fr Cedric Prakash SJ*  The first eleven days of May 2023 have, in many ways, been a defining period of Indian history! Plenty has happened in a rapid-fire stream of events. Ironically, each one of them are indicators of how crimes and the criminalisation of society has become the ‘new norm’; these include, the May Day rallies with a focus on the four labour codes which are patently against the rights of workers; the U S Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) released its Annual Report on 1 May stating that conditions for religious freedom in India “continued to worsen in 2022”; the continued protest by the Indian women wrestlers at Jantar Mantar for the expulsion of the chief of the Indian Wrestlers Federation on very serious allegations; the Elections in Karnataka on 10 May (with communalism and corruption as the mainstay); the release of the fake, derogative and insensitive film ‘The Kerala Story’; the release of World Free Press Index on 3 May which places India

Swami Vivekananda's views on caste and sexuality were 'painfully' regressive

By Bhaskar Sur* Swami Vivekananda now belongs more to the modern Hindu mythology than reality. It makes a daunting job to discover the real human being who knew unemployment, humiliation of losing a teaching job for 'incompetence', longed in vain for the bliss of a happy conjugal life only to suffer the consequent frustration.

Polygamy in India "down" in 45 yrs: Muslims' from 5.7 to 2.55%, Hindus' 5.8 to 1.77%, "common" in SCs, STs

By Rajiv Shah Amidst All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) justifying polygamy, saying it “meets social and moral needs and the provision for it stems from concern and sympathy for women”, facts suggest the the practice is down from 5.7 per cent of Muslim families in 1961 to 2.55 per cent in 2006.

Modi govt 'wholly untrustworthy' on Covid data, censored criticism on pandemic: Lancet

By Rajiv Shah*   One of the world’s most prestigious health journals, brought out from England, has sharply criticised the Narendra Modi government for being “wholly untrustworthy on Covid-19 health data”, stating, the “official government figures place deaths at more than 530 000, while WHO excess death estimates for 2020 and 2021 are near 4·7 million.”

Undermining law, breastfeeding? Businesses 'using' celebrities to promote baby food

By Rajiv Shah*  A report prepared by the top child welfare NGO, Breastfeeding Promotion Network of India (BPNI), has identified as many as 15 offenders allegedly violating the Indian baby food law, the Infant Milk Substitutes Feeding Bottles, and Infant Foods (Regulation of Production, Supply and Distribution) Act 1992, and Amendment Act 2003 (IMS Act), stating, compliance with the law “seems to be dwindling by the day.”

Delhi demolitions for G-20 summit: Whither sabka saath, sabka vikas?, asks NAPM

By Our Representative  Well-known civil rights network, National Alliance of People's Movements (NAPM), even as expressing solidarity with “thousands of traumatized residents of Tughlakabad and some other bastis in New Delhi whose homes have been demolished and whose lives have been ravaged both prior to as well as in the lead-up to the G-20 Summit”, has said this is in utter disregard to “their minimum well-being and gross violation of their rights.”

'Misleading' Lancet estimates on zero food intake in infants, young children of India

By Srinivas Goli, Shalem Balla, Harchand Ram*  India is one of the world's hotspots for undernourished children, both in terms of prevalence and absolute numbers. Successive rounds of National Family Health Surveys ( NFHS ) have revealed that the progress observed since the early 1990s is far from what is expected when compared to the country's economic growth.

India joining US sponsored trade pillar to hurt Indian farmers, 'promote' GM seeds, food

Counterview Desk  As many as 32 civil society organisations (CSOs), in a letter to Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal on the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) and India joining the trade pillar, have said that its provisions will allow the US to ensure a more favourable regulatory regime “for enhancing its exports of genetically modified (GM) seeds and GM food”, underlining, it will “significantly hurt the livelihoods of Indian farmers.”