The Use of Non-Conventional Water Resources
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Options Méditerranéennes, Séries A n. 66 The use of non-conventional water resources Proceedings of the international Workshop Alger, Algeria, 12-14 June 2005 Opinions, data and facts exposed in this number are under the responsibility of the authors and do not engage either CIHEAM or the Member-countries. Les opinions, les données et les faits exposés dans ce numéro sont sous la responsabilité des auteurs et n’engagent ni le CIHEAM, ni les Pays membres. CIHEAM Centre International de Hautes Etudes Agronomiques Méditerranéennes Options méditerranéenness Directeur de la publication: Bertrand Hervieu SERIES A: Mediterranean seminars Number 66 The use of non-conventional water resources Proceedings of the International Workshop Alger, Algeria, 12-14 June 2005 Edited by Atef Hamdy 2005 La maquette et la mise en page de ce volume de Options Méditerranéennes Séries A ont été réalisées à l’Atelier d’Edition de l’IAM Bari This volume of Options Méditerranéennes Series A has been formatted and paged up by the IAM Bari Editing Board The use of non-conventional water resources Proceedings of the International Workshop Alger, Algeria, 12-14 June 2005 Edited by Atef Hamdy Bari: CIHEAM (Centre International de Hautes Etudes Agronomiques Méditerranéennes) p. 216, 2005 Options Méditerranéennes, Série A : N. 66 ISSN : 1016-121X ISBN : 2-85352-318-7 © CIHEAM, 2005 Reproduction partielle ou totale interdite Reproduction in whole or in part sans l’autorisation is not permitted without the consent d’ « Options Méditerranéennes » of « Options Méditerranéennes » CONTENTS FOREWORD 7 INTRODUCTION 9 PREFACE 11 PART ONE : NON-CONVENTIONAL WATER RESOURCES: AN OVERVIEW URBAN WASTEWATER: PROBLEMS, RISKS AND ITS POTENTIAL USE FOR 15 IRRIGATION M. Shatanawi, A. Hamdy and H. Smadi SALINE IRRIGATION MANAGEMENT FOR A SUSTAINABLE USE 45 A. Hamdy HALOPHYTES AND SALT-TOLERANT GLYCOPHYTES: A POTENTIAL RESOURCE 87 V. Sardo PART TWO : NON-CONVENTIONAL WATER RESOURCES AND ITS POTENTIAL USE WASTEWATER TREATMENT AND REUSE AS A POTENTIAL WATER RESOURCE FOR 101 IRRIGATION R. Choukr-Allah and A. Hamdy SALINITY EFFECT ON CROP DEVELOPMENT AND YIELD, ANALYSIS OF SALT 125 TOLERANCE ACCORDING TO SEVERAL CLASSIFICATION METHODS N. Katerji, J.W. van Hoorn, A. Hamdy and M. Mastrorilli DOMESTIC WASTEWATER TREATMENT AND AGRICULTURAL REUSE IN DRARGA, 147 MOROCCO R. Choukr-Allah, A. Thor and P.E. Young WASTEWATER RECYCLING AND REUSE AS A POTENTIAL RESOURCE FOR WATER 157 SAVING IN THE MEDITERRANEAN REGION R. Choukr-Allah IMPACT DE L’IRRIGATION PAR LES EAUX USEES EPUREES SUR LA PRODUCTIVITE 165 D’UNE CULTURE DE TOMATE DE PLEIN CHAMP, LA SALINITE DU SOL ET LE BILAN D’AZOTE R. Choukr-Allah and O. Aghai 5 PART THREE – NON CONVENTIONAL WATER RESOURCES : NORMS FOR REUSE ASSESSING AND CONTROLLING LABORATORY APPROACH FOR SAMPLE 175 CONTAMINATION T. Tawfic CHEMICAL SPECIATION OF SELECTED METALS IN GROUNDWATER USING 185 GEOCHEMICAL MODEL T. Tawfic PART FOUR – NON CONVENTIONAL WATER RESOURCES MANAGEMENT EFFECTIVE NATURAL WASTEWATER TREATMENT SYSTEMS IN RURAL AREAS OF 195 EGYPT T. Tawfic GESTION DE L’IRRIGATION AVEC LES EAUX NON CONVENTIONNELLES 203 M. Kessira 6 FOREWORD In arid and semi-arid regions, growing water scarcity threatens economic development, sustainable human livelihoods and environmental quality. The non-conventional water resources, the treated wastewater can be used to compensate for the shortage in irrigation water needed to meet the water needs of the expanding irrigated areas, thereby allowing valuable freshwater to be saved for drinking and other domestic recreational uses. Municipal wastewater is an increasingly renewable water resource, it is roughly estimated to be about 10% of the available water resources in the Southern Mediterranean countries. Technically and politically, the importance of this complementary water source for irrigation is well recognized. The biggest question, however, is: what are the reasons limiting the full use of wastewater, even the treated one? The immediate answer to the raised question is to be mainly attributed to the absence of practical, affordable safeguards that do not threaten the sustainable livelihoods dependent on wastewater or diminish the important role this resource plays in achieving food security. Equally, the way of thinking of decision-makers, the water users and the consumers has to be changed from feeling they have to deal with a costly nuisance, to trying to harvest a potentially valuable source for irrigation. To achieve such goal in the Mediterranean countries, those facing acute shortage in the freshwater resources, there is an urgent need to have a realistic, effective and sustainable management approach that takes into consideration the tradeoffs between the health of the producers and the consumers of wastewater irrigated produce, the quality of soils and water, wastewater irrigation benefits, farmers’ opinion, public perceptions and institutional arrangements. Those are the major issues to be discussed and debated during the non-conventional water resources workshop. I am quite sure that during yours presentations and discussions we can come up with concrete recommendations and valuable proposals to set new strategies for the sustainable use of such non- conventional water source. Cosimo Lacirignola Director, CIHEAM-IAM Bari 7 8 INTRODUCTION Million of small-scale farmers around the world irrigate with marginal quality water. There are two major types of non-conventional water resources (marginal quality water): wastewater from urban and peri-urban areas, saline and sodic agricultural drainage water and groundwater. The use of wastewater and saline or sodic water in agriculture increases the total volume of irrigation water in many areas, but the off-farm and long-term negative implications can be substantial. Wastewater use can have health impacts for farmers and consumers, while un-sustained use of saline and sodic water can impair soil quality and productivity, reducing crop yields. The challenges for public officials is to set policies that enable farmers to maximize the resources, while protecting public health and the environment. Risk management is essential for preventing adverse impacts when irrigating with wastewater or saline sodic water. Untreated wastewater disposal pollutes freshwater and causes harmful health and environmental impacts, while inappropriate use of saline and sodic water causes soil salinization and water quality degradation that can limit crop choice and reduce yields. Nowadays, on the globe, the use of non-conventional water resources is becoming a reality. However, most countries are still facing many obstacles when trying to use and manage this water in order to maximize the potential benefits, while minimizing the potential risk. Those are the two key points should be carefully considered and should be incorporated in an integrated management approach that must be sustained intuitionally over a long period of time. Safe and sustainable use and management of non-conventional water resources is a complex process. The complex challenges of managing water resources of marginal quality require a programmatic, proactive and forward-looking perspective. In the Mediterranean region there is an urgent need for a framework that provides a safe, sustainable and profitable use of non-conventional water resources in the irrigation sector. The tasks are difficult, but the acute shortage in freshwater resources most developing countries are now facing implies that every drop of wastewater should be collected, treated, used and recycled. Aware of this, Bari Institute centred a great part of its activities on the sustainable use and management of non-conventional water resources. The topic received priority in most countries of the Mediterranean region and this encouraged the Institute to establish an information research network on this subject with the involvement of more than 40 experts covering most countries of the region and researchers from nearly 20 international, regional and local institutions and organizations. The networking activities, those are running for more than 15 years, had resulted in increasing and updating our know-how on the subject, improving the institutional capacity building and the human resources capability not only in identifying the problem, but, equally in finding the sustainable solutions. This workshop held today in Algeria, gathering many Algerian experts and several experts from the region, represent a part of the networking activities. The meeting is held to discuss, among each others, the ideas and views, to exchange the experience and to evaluate the lessons learned concerning the successful cases as well as the failure ones to set together the needed plans and strategies to be easily implemented in order to achieve our final goal in having a sustainable and safe use of such non-conventional water resources. Prof. Atef Hamdy Director of Research, CIHEAM-IAMB Bari 9 10 PREFACE La problématique de l’utilisation de l’eau non conventionnelle est plus que jamais posée en Algérie. La recherche de la maîtrise des techniques liées d’un côté aux opérations de traitement et d’épuration et de l’autre côté à l’utilisation des eaux traitées et épurées constitue un des principaux objectifs de la politique agricole en Algérie. L’utilisation rationnelle des ressources naturelles et notamment l’eau constitue une préoccupation majeure partout dans le monde et particulièrement dans le bassin méditerranéen connu par la fragilité de ses sols et la rareté des apports en eau de