Assessment of the status of agricultural irrigation with

wastewater and ef uent in Kurdistan

Seyed Jamaleddin Ebrahimi, Leila Ebrahimzadeh*

MSc of Environmental Health Engineering, Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences, Sanandaj, Iran

ABSTRACT

More than eighty percent of the wastewater in the world enters the environment without collection and treatment and

urban people are the main source of wastewater production. Iran, as one of the Middle Eastern countries, is faced with

the loss of renewable water resources, hence one of the main social and economic policies in the Islamic Republic of

Iran is to make optimal use of renewable resources. In view of that, there is an emphasis on water turnover and reuse,

groundwater recharge, and human and industrial wastewater treatment and reuse in agriculture and other activities.

The aim of this study was to investigate agricultural irrigation with wastewater and ef uent in Kurdistan province

in 2015. This cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted in summer 2015. The study used the available data

collected in Wastewater Health Program which had been administered by health deputy of the Kurdistan University

of medical sciences. After reviewing the available data, statistical analysis of data was performed by means of Excel

software.The results of the study showed that the amount of ef uent used for agricultural irrigation in the two cities

of Sanandaj and Marivan, respectively, was 500 and 450 liters per second. Due to the decrease in water resources,

the area of cucurbits farms irrigated with ef uent increased from zero in 2014 to 898 hectares in 2015 and the area

of non-cucurbits farms irrigated with ef uent increased from 41.5 hectares in 2014 to 260 hectares in 2015. In addi-

tion, the area of cucurbits farms irrigated with raw wastewater increased from zero in 2014 to 1.5 hectares in 2015

and the area of non-cucurbits farms irrigated with raw wastewater increased from zero in 2014 to 225 hectares in

2015. Finally, it can be concluded that the authorities in the country must pay serious attention to wastewater and

ef uent management, because it will help to prevent the damages to agricultural  elds which is now occurring due

to contamination of groundwater and soil. Wastewater management could help to provide a better health perspective

for the next generations of people in this country.

KEY WORDS: EFFLUENT, WASTEWATER, AGRICULTURAL IRRIGATION

ARTICLE INFORMATION:

*Corresponding Author: Leila.e980@gmail.com

Received 30

Dec, 2016

Accepted after revision 12

March, 2017

BBRC Print ISSN: 0974-6455

Online ISSN: 2321-4007

Thomson Reuters ISI ESC and Crossref Indexed Journal

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Online Contents Available at: http//www.bbrc.in/

Biosci. Biotech. Res. Comm. Special Issue No 1:19-23 (2017)

20 ASSESSMENT OF THE STATUS OF AGRICULTURAL IRRIGATION WITH WASTEWATER BIOSCIENCE BIOTECHNOLOGY RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS

Ebrahimi and Ebrahimzadeh

INTRODUCTION

More than eighty percent of the wastewater in the world

enters the environment without collection and treatment

and urban people are the main source of wastewater pro-

duction (World Water Assessment Programme, 2012).

Every year, 80 million tons of nitrogen and 10 million tons

of phosphorus created due to agricultural activities are

evacuated into waterways and coastal areas (UN-Water

Decade Programme on Capacity Development, 2013).

The presence of nutrient materials is one of the reasons

for using wastewater for agricultural irrigation in devel-

oping countries. However, maintaining proper levels of

these substances is a challenge. Moreover, the wastewater

contains high levels of dissolved salts and organic matter.

Iran, as one of the Middle Eastern countries, is faced

with the loss of renewable water resources; hence one

of the main social and economic policies in the Islamic

Republic of Iran is to make optimal use of renewable

resources. In view of that, there is an emphasis on water

turnover and reuse, groundwater recharge, and human

and industrial wastewater treatment and reuse in agri-

culture and other activities (Environmental regulations

for the use of returned water and ef uent, 2010).

The use of wastewater to irrigate agricultural  elds

has many economic bene ts for farmers, because it con-

serve water resources, reduces the disposal of contami-

nated wastes to surface water, reduces the use of ferti-

lizers, and reduces the cost of water consumption and

irrigation (Paranychianakis et al, 2006; Haruvy, 1998;

Fatta and Kythreotou, 2005, and Corcoran et al, 2010).

Salinity is the most important factor limiting the use of

waste water and returned water for the land reclamation

in desert habitats; however, with a proper management

we can overcome this problem (Alinejad, 2013). Heavy

metals and trace elements are among other impurities

found in the wastewater treatment plants especially in

industrial areas; such materials can accumulate in soils

and groundwater and reach a concentration which is

toxic to plants (Tabatabaei et al. 2001).

The use of wastewater can lead to a decrease or

increase in soil pH (Saber, 1986) and can also increase

chloride (Mahida, 1981) and other chemical compounds.

In addition to pathogenic microorganisms, domestic and

industrial wastewater contains different chemical com-

pounds such as drugs, hormones, antibiotics, and other

substances that affect hormone system (Fatta and Kyth-

reotou, 2005). Kurdistan province has a precipitation of

about 500 mm per year (more than double the average

precipitation in Iran) and is one of the Iranian prov-

inces with the highest level of water resources. However,

unfortunately, in recent years the province has been

faced with a sharp decline in rainfall. This has motivated

the farmers to use wastewater and ef uent.

To use the ef uents and to authorize the farmers to

use the remains of wastewater treatment it is necessary

to observe the standards related to the wastewater dis-

posal. The standards cover most of qualitative parameters

including physical, chemical, microbiological features

of waste water and heavy metals. However, these stand-

ards are not much observed in our country. The aim of

this study was to investigate agricultural irrigation with

wastewater and ef uent in Kurdistan province in 2015.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

This cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted in

summer 2015. The study used the available data col-

lected in Wastewater Health Program which had been

administered by health deputy of the Kurdistan Univer-

sity of medical sciences. Kurdistan province, with an

area of 28203 square kilometers, is one of the provinces

located in the western part of Iran which is adjacent

to the provinces of West Azerbaijan, Zanjan, Hamedan,

and Kermanshah; it has also more than 200 kilometer

of common borders with Iraq. Sanandaj is the capital of

the province and is located at an altitude of 1373 meters

above the sea level. The other cities of the province

are: Shaqez, Marivan, Qurveh, Baneh, Bijar, Dehgolan,

Divandarreh, Kamyaran, and Sarvabad.

In Kurdistan province, the cities of Sanandaj, Saqez,

Marivan, Qurveh, and Bijar have wastewater treatment

plants; however, the wastewater treatment plant n Bijar

has not been launched yet. The data required for the

Wastewater Health Program are collected from the dis-

trict health centers every six months. After reviewing

the available data, statistical analysis of data was per-

formed by means of Excel software.

RESULTS

Farmers in Sanandaj and Marivan use the ef uents

of wastewater treatment plants to irrigate their crops.

Tables 1 and 2 present the status of ef uent and waste-

water used to irrigate agricultural  elds in Kurdistan

province. As shown, the amount of ef uent used for

agricultural irrigation in the two cities of Sanandaj and

Marivan, respectively, was 500 and 450 liters per second.

The most common agricultural products in Sanandaj are

garden fruits, cucurbits (chamber cucumber, tomatoes,

okra, and cucumber) and in Marivan the products are

tobacco, alfalfa, and vegetables. The two parameters of

BOD and COD are the only analysis parameters listed in

national standards of the ef uent which had been ana-

lyzed and both of them were less than the allowed vales

(100 and 200 milligram per liter, respectively).

BIOSCIENCE BIOTECHNOLOGY RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS ASSESSMENT OF THE STATUS OF AGRICULTURAL IRRIGATION WITH WASTEWATER 21

Ebrahimi and Ebrahimzadeh

Table 1. Status of ef uents used for irrigation of agricultural  eld in urban areas of Kurdistan

province

No. District

The amount of

ef uent used

(l/s)

Characteristic of agriculture crops Results of testing the

output of ef uent

Type of crops Cultivated area

(hectare)

BOD COD

1 Sanandaj 500

Garden fruits,

cucurbits (chamber

cucumber, tomatoes,

okra, and cucumber)

893 56 110

2 Marivan 450

tobacco 200

61.4 100alfalfa 60

vegetables 5

Table 2. Status of ef uents used for irrigation of agricultural  eld in rural areas

of Kurdistan province

No. District

Raw wastewater

used for irrigation of

agricultural  elds

Characteristic of agriculture

crops

Place of

use

Amount of

use (l/s)

Type of crops Cultivated area

(hectare)

1 Divandareh

Qazal ozen

river bank

Garden fruits

(apple) and alfalfa

150

2 Dehgolan

Dehgolan 64

Meadow (animal

consumption)

Bolban Abad 0.8

Garden and

meadow

Qarebelaq

panjeh

1.25

Cucumber and

wheat

5 (Cucumber: 1.5

and wheat: 5)

Bashmakh 3.7 Potato 0.5

3 Kamyaran Bolan 20 Corn and wheat 50

FIGURE 1. Comparison of the areas of cucurbits farms

irrigated with raw wastewater in 2014-2015

FIGURE 2. Comparison of the areas of non-cucurbits

farms irrigated with raw wastewater in 2014-2015

As shown in Table 2, the farmers in rural areas of

Divandarreh, Dehgolan, and Kamyaran used raw waste-

water for irrigation of gardens and cucurbits farms.

The irrigation of cucurbits farms with wastewater can

increase the risk of transmission of enteric diseases. It

should be noted that about 1 hectare of cucurbits farms

irrigated with raw ef uent in Qorveh was destroyed this

year.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, due to decreasing rain-

fall in recent years, the area of cucurbits farms irrigated

with raw wastewater increased from zero in 2014 to 1.5

hectares in 2015 and the area of non-cucurbits farms

Ebrahimi and Ebrahimzadeh

22 ASSESSMENT OF THE STATUS OF AGRICULTURAL IRRIGATION WITH WASTEWATER BIOSCIENCE BIOTECHNOLOGY RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS

irrigated with raw wastewater increased from zero in

2014 to 225 hectares in 2015.

According to Figures 3 and 4, due to the decrease

in water resources, the area of cucurbits farms irrigated

with ef uent increased from zero in 2014 to 898 hec-

tares in 2015 and the area of non-cucurbits farms irri-

gated with ef uent increased from 41.5 hectares in 2014

to 260 hectares in 2015.

DISCUSSION

Climatic conditions, characteristics of produced ef u-

ent, type of crops, and economic, social, technological,

cultural, and health conditions in different countries are

diverse; as a result the countries cannot simply enjoy

the results of studies conducted in the other countries to

make successful planning.

To ensure the continuity and long-term success of the

plans designed for the use of wastewater in agriculture

it is necessary to makes such plans based on data and

results obtained from multiple short-term and long-term

researches conducted in local conditions. The researches

should be conducted on a variety of subjects such as:

positioning, type of crop and cropping patterns, envi-

ronmental and health risks, determination of accept-

able risk levels, determination of the risk management

methods to reduce risk, management of costs associated

with the various options to reduce risks, localization of

guidelines and standards, providing good alternatives,

training farmers and people, etc (Danesh and Alizadeh,

2008).

Some of the problems and challenges in the  eld of

irrigation with ef uent and wastewater are as follows:

1. Lack of wastewater treatment plant for treating

wastewater in a number of towns and villages of

the province

2. Improper functioning of the urban wastewater

treatment plants which prevents urban waste wa-

ter treatment plants to meet the standards designed

for a number of items

3. Low rainfall and lack of self-puri cation in the re-

vivers and water resources which receive ef uent

streams in most parts of the province

4. Lack of coordination between the concerned de-

partments (environment and agriculture organi-

zations) and the district health centers to legally

react against offenders who use ef uent or waste-

water for irrigation of crops. Are the health centers

the only body responsible for reacting against the

offenders?

5. It is not clear under what time frequency (monthly

/ quarterly / annual) should the ef uents would be

compared with the standards.

6. Water scarcity and declining the levels of surface

water and groundwater have motivated the farm-

ers to use ef uent and raw wastewater to irrigate

farms.

7. Lack of laboratory for detecting and counting

nematode eggs while it is one of the important

prerequisites for using wastewater in agricultural

 elds in the province.

8. Need for funds for the development of wastewater

treatment plants.

9. Preventing farmers from the use of raw wastewa-

ter for irrigation of agricultural  elds.

The following items are suggested to improve and

promote the use of wastewater in agriculture.

1. Paying attention to all the parameters and stan-

dards recommended for the use of wastewater in

agricultural  elds.

2. Providing the instruments and equipment required

for the analysis of the wastewater and launching

them in the reference laboratories of the health

centers in all the provinces, or at least in the three

provinces in the country.

3. Reviewing the ef uent standards based on the

standards of wastewater use in agriculture pro-

FIGURE 3. Comparison of the areas of cucurbits farms

irrigated with ef uent in 2014-2015

FIGURE 4. Comparison of the areas of non-cucurbits

farms irrigated with ef uent in 2014-2015

Ebrahimi and Ebrahimzadeh

BIOSCIENCE BIOTECHNOLOGY RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS ASSESSMENT OF THE STATUS OF AGRICULTURAL IRRIGATION WITH WASTEWATER 23

posed by the World Health Organization or other

important global centers.

4. Increasing the area of farms under the cultivation

of rain-fed crops in the country.

5. Conducting short-term and long-term research in

this  eld.

6. Evaluating the status of agricultural soil salinity

and other important parameters in this  eld.

Finally, it can be concluded that the authorities in the

country must pay serious attention to wastewater and

ef uent management, because it will help to prevent the

damages to agricultural  elds which is now occurring

due to contamination of groundwater and soil. Waste-

water management could help to provide a better health

perspective for the next generations of people in this

country.

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