Utilization of treated municipal effluent for irrigating agricultural land in Palestine: The driving factors and existing practices

Abstract

This article investigates the motivations and practices of using treated wastewater (TWW) to irrigate crop fields in Jenin, Palestine. Around 40 farmers were surveyed for data collection. The results showed that 66% of the farmers grew alfalfa crops while 30% grew fruit trees. The main obstacles the farmers faced before starting to use TWW were disgust (68.2%), worries about the quality of TWW (68.2%), health concerns (63.6%), and concerns about adverse effects on the soil (63.6%). All interviewed farmers considered the establishing and funding of an irrigation project to be the cornerstone for any reuse project. The second most important driving factor was the price of TWW that is 10–25% of the fresh water prices. After reusing TWW for irrigation, 59% of the farmers did not use any fertilizer, but they were not sufficiently aware of the crops’ water needs, nor the nutrients in the TWW. All the fodder-growing farmers abstained from selling their crops before drying. The farmers used the TWW for five to nine months annually. After the TWW was reused, the main positive impacts of the TWW reuse were increased crop yields (77.3%), crops quality (50.0%), and crops marketing (47.7%). On the other hand, the main negative impacts were blocking of the irrigation systems (77.3%) and release of odors (54.5%). After practicing TWW use in crops irrigation, the key factors contributed to the “no difference” index were the effects on human health (100%), soil quality (56.8%), and insects spread (54.5%). Therefore, the results of the study support the decision makers to implement TWW reuse policies for crop irrigation in arid regions with scarce water resources. Monitoring TWW reuse and training farmers and helping them overcome obstacles is essential.