WASTE WATER- AN ASSET OR LIABILITY? A Study on the Use of Waste Water for Irrigation in Lusaka's Kaunda Square Compound

摘要

With rising population and the poverty levels in Zambia, there is a big demand for fresh water to meet various uses. This pressure on fresh water has resulted in the poor urban population resorting to using waste water for agricultural purposes. It is against this background that this study was undertaken to obtain an understanding of this practice and in comparison with international guidelines set by the World Health Organization and other reputable institutions, ascertain whether this practice is safe for human health. A mixed methods approach was taken combining both qualitative and quantitative data collection tools techniques encompassing literature review, water and vegetable sampling, interviews and field observations. The study revealed that in almost all the criteria given, the practice falls short of the WHO guidelines. In Crop Restriction, it was found that all manner of crops were grown including those that are eaten raw and do not require cooking like cabbage and lettuce. Further, when it came to Wastewater Application Techniques, the farmers revealed that they sprinkled the water which means that they are exposed to harmful chemicals and organisms in the water. This perhaps correlates with their admission of having suffered from a myriad of illnesses in the last 6 months. The vegetables are sold as soon as they are harvested despite the high levels of e-coli and other pathogens present as evidenced by the results from the water and vegetable samples collected from the area. There is occupational exposure as they lack even basic protective clothing. The irrigation technique used also results in increased exposure even to surrounding communities as the water is left to run without any buffer zone or containment. No education or promotion activities are present to sensitize the concerned communities of these inherent dangers. This is backed by the analytical results of the inlet and outlet points of the ponds. Total Dissolved Solids are almost the same at the outlet as in the inlet and similarly with the conductivity.