BACKGROUND :

Faisalabad, Pakistan and Hyderabad, India, two mega-cities with large untreated wastewater irrigation areas, have been selected as project locations.

In India, the six research villages are situated along the Musi River downstream of Hyderabad. Being the main drain for the city, the Musi River carries both industrial and household wastewater. This water is diverted from the river to a formal canal system and used to irrigate a large proportion of the villages’ fields

In the two Pakistani research villages, the systems of irrigation are different. Most of the agricultural area of the village Chakera was intended to use treated water discharged from the nearby wastewater stabilization ponds. However, the farmers tap the sewerage lines that service the ponds before it is treated so that they can utilize the nutrient rich untreated wastewater. Most of this wastewater is of household origin. In the control village Kehala, the farmers use a mixture of canal (river) and ground water.

The research combines field and laboratory methods and interactions with all actors in the chain of wastewater use. This includes producers of wastewater crops, those who trade and transport the crops, consumers of the produce and relevant authorities. Of critical importance is the identification of all actors, such as relevant institutions and community members, and their inclusion in the development and implementation of mitigation options to reduce health risks and to improve the livelihood benefits of wastewater irrigated agriculture. This 3 year (2005-2008) BMZ funded project aims to identify the risks and benefits associated with the use of wastewater in urban and peri-urban agriculture.

The goal of the project is to improve health and safeguard wastewater-dependent livelihoods of resource-poor urban and peri-urban farmers and consumers in Pakistan and India by developing realistic risk mitigation options. These will then be promoted among various stakeholders including farmers and policymakers.

Objectives

Expected outputs of the project :

• Social and institutional map of the multiple actors (individuals and organizations) along the chain from wastewater source to end-use.
• GIS (Geographic Information System) database of urban and peri-urban agriculture and wastewater irrigation.
• Evaluation and documentation of human health and agricultural risks from field to consumer.
• Economic valuation of the direct and indirect livelihood benefits as well as the health and adaptation-related costs of wastewater irrigation.
• Comprehensive assessment of tradeoffs, risks, costs and benefits at different levels along the chain from wastewater users to consumers of produce.
• Concrete, actionable risk mitigation recommendations based on outputs 1-5

Methods

• Field sampling and quality assured laboratory analysis of water, soil and crop (vegetable and Fodder) samples.
• Re-infection study (Base line stool survey: Determination of Prevalence of helminth infection – anthelmenthic treatment program - secondary stool survey (re-infection).
• Implementation of a detailed health questionnaire
• Anthropometric Study & Diarrhea Survey
• Helminth egg viability studies (soil and water (seasonal variations)
• Institutional Analysis & Development of a Framework of Actors
• Livelihoods Analysis: Primary (PRA Tools) and Secondary Data Collection
• Cost Benefit Analysis (trade--off and benefits)
• GIS Mapping of landuse and irrigation infrastructure and integration of health, socio-economic, soil/crop/water quality, helminth egg viability data and development of spatial and temporal linkages between project generated data.

Project leader

Researchers

Collaborators

Applied Geography of the Tropics and Subtropics (APT) University of Freiburg, Germany
Centre for Economic and Social Studies (CESS), India
Institute of Public Health (IPH) Lahore, Pakistan
International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI)
National Programme for Family Planning and Primary Health Care, Pakistan University of Agriculture, Faisalabad (UAF), Pakistan.

Major Donors

Project Duration

Location