The advantages of and precautions needed when using waste water for Essay - 1

The advantages of and precautions needed when using waste water for agricultural uses in developing countries - Essay Example This review seeks to show how waste water holds the key to solving the water deficiencies that exist the world over plus the advantages of using this method. It will also highlight the challenges that come along with the usage of this type of water source and the methods of dealing with these challenges. It is common knowledge that the world is faced with the challenge of an ever increasing population. This means that there has to be an increased level of agricultural activity in order to cater for the increased demand. However the main challenge of this is that there are dwindling sources of water to cater for the agricultural activity. This is especially true when one considers that the majority of the world’s agricultural activity, that is dependent on rainfall, has been disrupted due to many factors such as climate change and increased pollution levels of water bodies the world over (UNEP). This has also been coupled by the increasing non-agricultural demand for water such as for industrial usage has put additional pressure on the scarce water resources that exist. The challenges of an increasing water scarcity for agricultural purposes have led to nations the world over turning to the use of wastewater to support their agricultural activities. Wastewater can be defined s imply as water that has been contaminated by any material that does not occur naturally in water itself (UNEP). Waste water can be used to irrigate in two main forms; one as water that has been reclaimed from wastewater otherwise known as treated water and in the second form it is used as non-treated water, in its raw form. When it is used as non-treated water in most cases the water is most cases applied directly to the plants and is used as a means to prevent the pollution of water bodies such as rivers and lakes. In most cases especially in the industrialised nations the water is used after