By superimposing their photographic evidence of tiger movements onto the land cover maps the researchers showed that tigers have a distinct preference for grasslands near water
That's probably because the grasslands and water attract animals for tigers to prey on the grasses conceal them
The ads emphasized personal health nutritional value taste cleaner water humane treatment of livestock community support and a combination of these egoistic and altruistic claims.
which allows them to capture more carbon dioxide use less water and grow more rapidly. Overall this makes them over 50%more efficient than plants that use the less efficient form.
using a third as much water as other plants; and capture around thirteen times more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
and water and so it is of value to British insects whether it is from a native garden plant or one from another part of the world.
The theme of this year's conference is Water Food Energy & Innovation for a Sustainable World (www. acsmeetings. org.
and acreage timber harvests carbon storage water recycling and other forest benefits in some areas.
#New micro water sensor can aid growerscrop growers wine grape and other fruit growers food processors and even concrete makers all benefit from water sensors for accurate steady and numerous moisture readings.
But current sensors are large may cost thousands of dollars and often must be read manually.
Now Cornell University researchers have developed a microfluidic water sensor within a fingertip-sized silicon chip that is a hundred times more sensitive than current devices.
For example sophisticated vintners use precise irrigation to put regulated water stress on grapevines to create just the right grape composition for a premium cabernet or a chardonnay wine.
While growers can use the sensors to monitor water in soils for their crops civil engineers can embed these chips in concrete to determine optimal moisture levels as the concrete cures.
not only a great improvement but also much cheaper for growers and others to use said Alan Lakso professor of horticulture who has been working on water sensing for 20 years.
The cavity is filled with water and then the chip may be inserted in a plant stem or in the soil where it through a nanoporous membrane exchanges moisture with its environment and maintains an equilibrium pressure that the chip measures.
and lower the ph of water in aquatic environments and ultimately decrease the number of species that can survive.
because of decreased competition for water and increased opportunities for photosynthesis said Hart. The area of high-elevation forests affected by spruce beetles is growing in the West Hart said.
One big concern about spruce beetle outbreaks is their effects on headwater streams that are important for water resources said Veblen.
In the short term trees killed by spruce beetles will lead to less water use by trees
and more water discharge into streams. But in the long term the absence of the trees killed by beetles may lead to less persistence of snow and earlier runoff.
which collects water from the northern Everglades region. This water then used to flow from the lake into the Everglades of the south.
But this natural path of water has been altered greatly by people leading to a host of environmental problems that state and federal scientists policy makers conservationists
and private landowners are now trying to solve. On Nov 4 Bohlen will present Wetland Restoration in the Northern Everglades:
This nutrient-contaminated water would damage the delicate southern Everglades should it reach them. So much of the water that historically flowed south from Lake Okeechobee is diverted now to estuaries on Florida's east and west coasts.
As a result the southern Everglades are starved somewhat for water while the coastal estuaries receive far too much from the lake.
Although a connection hasn't been made definitively heavy flows of nutrient-rich freshwater into the estuaries are suspected in die offs of eelgrass manatees and pelicans;
and zones of oxygen-starved water Bohlen says. The situation reached a crisis this summer
or create ponds to hold water on their lands. This way water from the northern Everglades doesn't flow as quickly or in as large amounts into Lake Okeechobee taking pressure off the lake its dike and the estuaries.
It may also be cheaper to store water in this manner rather than in huge public works projects.
Plus by holding back some water in restored marshes or ponds in theory at least you'll also be holding back some of the nutrients Bohlen says.
Restored wetlands are generally very good in fact at removing nitrogen from the system. Phosphorus is trickier.
and farmed can actually release stored phosphorus into the water rather than removing it. There's a tremendous legacy of accumulated phosphorus in the soils due to past fertilizer use Bohlen says.
Besides nonrenewable reserves alternative phosphate resources include municipal wastewater and agricultural organic residues such as livestock manure or digestate from biogas plants.
The theme of this year's conference is Water Food Energy & Innovation for a Sustainable World (https://www. acsmeetings. org/.
The arrangement of roots is determined by a complicated combination of environmental signals based on the availability of nutrients and water in the surrounding environment hormonal signals and external stimuli.
Soil biochar amendment helps to raise water storage capacity and decrease soil nutrient leaching which in turn increases soil fertility
Metal pollutants like selenium contaminate soil water can be accumulated in plants and can even be deposited atmospherically on the hive itself said Kristen Hladun the lead author of the study and a postdoctoral entomologist.
In the United states the well-established toxicity of Se to wildlife and humans has resulted in this element being regulated by the Toxic Substances Control Act and the Clean Water Act.
#Improving water security with blue, green, and gray wateragriculture is one of the most insatiable consumers of dwindling water resources around the world.
And food production will need to increase by about 70%over the next 35 years to meet the needs of a growing population.
agriculture will face competition for water from cities industries and recreation. With limited water and the increasing number of people depending on it water security is tenuous.
But integrated water management plans using blue green and gray water can increase water security.
What do these colors mean and why are these waters vital? Those are the central questions behind the symposium Blue Waves Green Dreams and Shades of Gray:
Perspectives On Water being held Nov 5. The symposium is part of the American Society of Agronomy Crop science Society of America and the Soil science Society of America Annual Meetings Nov 3-6 in Tampa Florida.
Blue water is found in lakes rivers reservoirs or aquifers. It is used for many purposes such as drinking water water for homes and businesses and irrigation water for agriculture.
Freshwater stores are limited and what's left of blue water must be protected and used sparingly.
Green water is the water available in the soil for plants and soil microorganisms. It can be absorbed by roots used by the plants to grow
and released back to the atmosphere. The use of green water by crops must be optimized to better utilize this often overlooked resource.
Gray water is water that has been used previously and may contain some impurities. It can come from cities households
or industries and it is waste water that is usually treated and discharged. The reuse of gray water for agriculture can decrease the amount of blue water withdrawn from stores and increase the green water available for plants to use.
These three water sources--blue gray and green--have to be protected and optimized if agriculture is to rise to the challenge of feeding over 9 billion people by 2050
while leaving enough water for other uses. After all says Rattan Lal presider of the symposium There is no substitute for water.
Story Source: The above story is provided based on materials by American Society of Agronomy. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length h
#Nothin to sneeze at: New treatment for common allergiesresearchers have tested successfully treatments for people with allergies to grasses
and to dust mites. There are two treatments one for grass allergy which is commonly known as hay fever and the other for dust mite allergy.
They are expected to be helpful for the millions of people who as a reaction to grass pollen
or the tiny bugs that live in house dust have sneezing itching eyes and a running nose that often significantly impacts their productivity at school or work.
Increasing the organic matter in soils is key to growing crops for numerous reasons including increased water-holding capacity and improved tilth.
The downside of nitrogen fertilization is that run off of nitrates to the surface waters or leaching of nitrates to groundwater cause problems with water quality and eutrophication in lakes.
The toxins-the researcher said-are in the water soil and airborne the fungi that produce them are an olive green mold that can be found in refrigerators besides they are very resistant to high temperatures.
-and water-holding properties of soil but its popularity in recent years also owes to its ability to reduce greenhouse gases by storing carbon in soil in some cases for many centuries.
because it jibed with the results from a 2012 study by Masiello that found that biochars created with higher-temperature processes were more effective at holding water and nutrients.
#Niacin, the fountain of youthwho would not want to live a long and healthy life? A freely available food supplement could help in this respect scientists from ETH Zurich have demonstrated in roundworms.
and streams damaging the delicate water systems. Now a discovery by a team of University of Missouri researchers could be the first step toward helping crops use less nitrogen benefiting both farmers'bottom lines and the environment.
#Steroids may persist longer in the environment than expectedassessing the risk posed to aquatic organisms by the discharge of certain steroids
In lab tests followed by field experiments the researchers found that trenbolone does not fully break down in water as believed retaining enough of a chemical residue to regenerate itself in the environment under certain conditions to an extent that the drugs'lives may be prolonged even in trace amounts.
and personal-care products that we know are present in trace amounts in our water supply.
when found in concentrated amounts can be harmful to aquatic species and the environment generally.
and we probably aren't discharging many carcinogens into surface waters anymore. But I don't believe this necessarily means that our water is safe for aquatic organisms says Edward Kolodziej associate professor in engineering at the University of Nevada-Reno and the other corresponding author on the Science paper.
It just might be harder to characterize the adverse effects associated with contaminant exposures these days.
Moreover during a simulated night under typical surface water conditions some of the compounds regenerated themselves to as much as 60 percent of the metabolite's initial mass
--when water temperature was higher and when it was more acidic or alkaline the team found.
The researchers validated the lab results with two experiments in the field--one with water culled from the Iowa River in Iowa City Iowa
The researchers advocate that using a diverse group of edible plants such as that in a silvopastural landscape promotes healthy soil with better water retention
and use up to 100 times the water as shale gas production according to a new study by Duke university researchers.
Excessive water consumption by the plants is also a concern. Producing synthetic natural gas requires 50 to 100 times the amount of water you need to produce shale gas Yang said.
The nine plants approved by the government--most of which are located in desert or semidesert regions in Xinjiang and Inner Mongolia--will consume more than 200 million tons of water annually
and could worsen water shortages in areas that already are under significant water stress. The overall environmental impacts will be said severe Jackson.
It will lock in high greenhouse gas emissions water use and mercury pollution for decades. Perhaps there's still time to stop it.
Story Source: The above story is provided based on materials by Duke university. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.
and the water corresponds to the heliopause. The heliopause separates regions of different gases. In the case of the Voyager 1 crossing the heliopause separates material created by the sun from material that surrounds the stars throughout the galaxy.
Similarly when water flows within the cells then pectin in specific locations in the cell wall will swell
and that will reduce water flow The researchers speculate that the ring of pectin around the torus functions as a buffer to help relieve mechanical stress during the deformation of the pit membrane
Acid rain forms when sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides--gases produced from the burning of fossil fuels--react with water molecules in the air.
Caiman and other aquatic species have been exposed to pesticides from upstream banana plantations even in remote areas of a national wilderness area concluded Grant.
however their erosion of aquatic ecosystems highlights the need for a developed regulatory infrastructure and adequate enforcement.
and are used to make some water resistant paints. The next step is to see how we might be able to mimic nature with this new motif we discovered Yarger says.
and the standing water left behind is the perfect breeding ground for mold spores. Dress to Protect--You don't need to impress
Several obstacles face planners and growers including soil contaminants water availability and changes in climate and atmospheric conditions.
Finding reliable and safe water sources can be difficult for urban farmers. Technologies such as drip irrigation that precisely deliver water where
and when it's needed can help conserve water. Reusing rainwater and wastewater can provide additional water
but those sources must be monitored for contaminants and perhaps treated. Changes in atmospheric and climate conditions in cities compared to rural areas can also be obstacles for urban growers.
For example temperatures and vapor pressure deficits (the difference between saturated and actual vapor pressure at a specific temperature) are often higher in cities.
Likewise when vapor pressure deficits are higher plants have to use more water creating moisture stress
In addition Makira's forests serve as a zone of watershed protection providing clean water to over 250000 people in the surrounding landscape.
and even death in humans are spread by consuming contaminated food and water or by contact with livestock feces in the environment.
more control over plant growthas water use and runoff regulations become more stringent and concerns about dwindling water supplies become more of an issue finding ways to increase the efficiency of water use for horticultural operations is crucial.
A new study contains answers that can help horticultural growers address regulatory and cost concerns.
Amanda Bayer lead author of the research study explained that most often horticultural best management practices (BMPS) are used to conserve water
but that BMPS do not account for water requirements of plants. Soil moisture sensors can be used
when substrate volumetric water content drops below a set threshold allowing for precise irrigation control
We designed a project to quantify the growth of Hibiscus acetosella'Panama Red'in response to various soil water content thresholds explained Bayer.
and on outdoor nursery pads using soil moisture sensors to maintain soil water content above specific thresholds.
We found that plant growth increased with increasing water content threshold in both greenhouse and nursery settings the authors said.
The experimental results revealed that the effect of substrate volumetric water content threshold on dry weight plant height
along with reduced water use and growth control more efficient soil moisture sensor-controlled irrigation could greatly reduce leaching allowing for reductions in fertilizer applications.
Recent water quality monitoring in the region has found widespread incidents of NO3 levels that exceed the Federal Drinking water standard.
and water use in the Salinas and San juan Valleys of California. The team explained that spinach producers can improve nitrogen use efficiency by applying fertilizer at the optimal time
and the leaching of polluting nitrates into water supplies while also raising crop yields through more efficient use of nitrogen fertilizer said G. V. Subbarao a senior scientist at JIRCAS.
Based on these results we do not expect the trace amounts of pyrethroids in sewage treatment plant effluent to be toxic to even the most sensitive aquatic life.
and colleagues to check on the effectiveness of advanced sewage treatment processes in removing pyrethroids from wastewater from a sewage treatment plant.
They knew that high levels of pyrethroids in treated water (which flows out of sewage facilities
and into lakes and streams) could harm aquatic life. Although conventional wastewater treatment processes were designed not to remove trace pyrethroid residues we found in an earlier study of our existing treatment processes that the treatment processes were quite effective at pyrethroid removal he explained.
We wanted to see if advanced treatment processes were even more effective. The results provide welcome reassurance.
and vibration in water and contain the same sensory hair cells found in the human ear.
Ducks can become infected with influenza virus through consumption of surface water contaminated with faeces shed by virus infected birds.
Most subtypes of influenza virus from ducks can retain their infectivity in water over long periods of time.
H13 and H16) can also remain infectious in water for several months under different salinity and temperature conditions.
when transplanted and providing water to the subsoil in situations of drought. We proved that in a period of three years oaks pines mesquites
these substances allow a supply of nutrients and water. The fungi that provide benefits says Olalde Portugal are called the myccorrhizal.
In addition the specialist stresses that the plant with myccorrhizal fungi perform photosynthesis in a more efficient way using less water than those who don't have the association.
The industry has made great strides in reducing the amount of packaging said Risch citing some of the most visible examples such as thinner plastic water bottles and compostable potato chip bags.
and water that are needed typically for foods. Without that protection the packaged food won't be sustainable.
or water breakfast cereals and finger foods such as rusks. The authors collected their information on the calorie density added salt
and other debris washing bed linens in hot water and heat-drying in a dryer and sealing cracks and crevices to eliminate hiding places.
#Recycled sewage water is safe for crop irrigation, study suggeststhe first study under realistic field conditions has found reassuringly low levels of pharmaceuticals
and personal care products (PPCPS) in crops irrigated with recycled sewage water scientists reported in Indianapolis today at the 246th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS).
We can use that information to promote the use of this treated wastewater for irrigation.
because drought and water shortages in the American southwest and in other arid parts of the world are using water recycled from municipal sewage treatment plants to irrigate food crops as the only option Water from toilets
Processing leaves that water or effluent from most sewage treatment plants clean enough to drink.
Traditionally however sewage treatment plants simply discharge the water into rivers or streams. The effluent still may contain traces of impurities including the remains of ingredients in prescription drugs antibacterial soaps cosmetics shampoos
and other PPCPS that are flushed down toilets and drains. Gan explained that concerns have arisen about the health
and environmental effects of those residual PPCPS especially over whether they might accumulate to dangerous levels in food crops.
Wu and Gan said the findings are a first step toward a full understanding of the potential human health effects of PPCPS in sewage treatment plant effluent recycled for irrigation.
For instance many other substances from PPCPS may occur in recycled water but were included not in the study.
They pointed out that irrigation of food crops with treated wastewater is established a well practice in some desert countries.
Water scarcities predicted for the future could substantially increase the use of recylced wasterwater here and globally.
Water shortages already affect almost 1 billion people they added. The authors acknowledge funding from the U s. Department of agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture.
Burning embers or charcoal heat the shisha producing smoke that bubbles down through a container of water
and chromium they detected in hookah smoke are not due to filtering of the smoke through water.
since Caruso's team did not detect excess amounts of those metals in the hookah water.
Whether the smoke went through the water in the hookah also didn't affect the metal levels.
and beverage coloring he said citing fruit drinks vitamin waters ice cream and yogurt. They are stable for instance
and water loss but it may contribute to global climate change as well. Grasslands depending on their status can act as either a significant sink or source for atmospheric carbon dioxide.
and plays an important role for the water and carbon balance including greenhouse gases. Even though it was clear that major problems were occurring in Mongolia in the past 20 years researchers were uncertain
but flooded paddies contribute to decreased water quality and quantity. The brown smog-filled skies that engulf Beijing have earned China a poor reputation for environmental stewardship.
The Miyun reservoir 100 miles north of Beijing is the main water source for the city's more than 20 million inhabitants.
The water has also become increasingly polluted by fertilizer and sediment run off and poses a significant health risk.
which the government and wealthier downstream consumers provide payouts to upstream farmers who in turn modify their agricultural practices to improve water conditions.
In the case of China's Paddy Land-to-Dry land (PLDL) program farmers are paid to convert their croplands from rice to corn a solution that reduces both water consumption and pollution.
Corn meanwhile requires much less water and fertilizer is more likely to stay in the soil.
which greatly improved both water quality and the quantity that reaches city residents downstream. Farmers earn almost six times more money growing rice than corn so the government compensated farmers with funds that more than made up the difference.
Water quality tests showed that fertilizer runoff declined sharply while the quantity available to downstream users in Beijing and surrounding areas increased.
The program cost about $1330 per hectare of farmland to implement but produced $2020 per hectare of benefits calculated as the value of increased water yield and improved water quality.
if doing so would significantly improve the overall water quality picture. The PLDL could serve as a model for similar programs already underway throughout Latin america and Africa.
and Dong-Chun Ma and Feng-Chun Wang of the Beijing Water Science and Technology Institute.
#Rising reuse of wastewater in forecast but world lacks data on massive potential resourceamid growing competition for freshwater from industry
and phosphorus an international study predicts a rapid increase in the use of treated wastewater for farming and other purposes worldwide.
However research shows that treated wastewater--comparable in North america alone to the volume of water flowing over Niagara falls--is mostly unused
Of 181 countries studied only 55 have information on three key aspects of wastewater: generation treatment and reuse.
or more years old according to the study led by Japan's Tottori University and the United nations University's Canadian-based Institute for Water Environment and Health (UNU-INWEH).
As water supplies fall and stress rises in many areas the potential resource of wastewater is being recognized widely says the study published Sept. 5 by Elsevier journal Agricultural Water Management.
Water demands already exceed supplies in regions with more than 40%of the world's population
and in just 12 years as much as 60%of the world's people may confront water scarcity.
Synthesizing what data there are on wastewater treatment the study shows that on average high-income countries treat 70%of the generated wastewater upper-middle-income countries treat 38%lower-middle-income countries treat 28%.
%Just 8%of wastewater generated in low-income countries undergoes any kind of treatment. In North america of the estimated 85 cubic kilometers of wastewater generated each year 61 cubic kilometers (75%)is treated.
A cubic kilometer is 1 trillion liters--about 220 billion US gallons. Annually however just 2. 3 cubic kilometers or 3. 8%of that treated wastewater is used.
Tables in the study detail the wastewater generation treatment and reuse--and how up to date the numbers are--in individual countries around the world.
From the earliest of times most wastewater has truly been wasted. However it is a vast resource
if we reclaim it properly which includes the separation of municipal from industrial wastewater says UNU-INWEH Director Zafar Adeel.
Another way of envisioning the volume of the resource potentially available worldwide each year is to imagine 14 months watching the outflow from the Mississippi river into the Gulf of mexico.
It has been reported that wastewater today irrigates between 1. 5%and 6. 6%of the global irrigated area of 301 million ha (1. 2 million sq. miles)
and that about 10%of world food is produced using wastewater. However according to the study there is little data to support such claims.
In developing countries particularly in water scarce countries wastewater volumes are thought to have increased substantially in recent years due to rural-urban migration.
Many farmers in water scarce developing countries irrigate with wastewater because: Says lead author Toshio Sato of Tottori University Japan:
Given the growing importance of wastewater management to the health of people and economies at local and national levels having up-to-date basic insights into wastewater generation treatment
and reuse is an essential investment. The key point underlined throughout this report is need the to invest the time
and UNU-INWEH collaborated with the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) Syria the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) Sri lanka
and assessing the potential of wastewater in food feed and fish production at different scales.
Selected highlightsthe study is the first ever to identify information gaps with respect to wastewater generation treatment and use.
Competition for freshwater already exists among municipal industrial and agricultural sectors particularly in water scarce areas.
The combination of less freshwater allocation to agriculture and growing volumes of urban wastewater is expected to continue
and intensify particularly in water scarce countries. Agriculture in these countries will increasingly rely on alternative water resources such as wastewater generated by nonagricultural activities in urban and peri-urban areas.
Under-reporting of wastewater generation treatment and reuse might relate to fear of economic repercussions in agricultural trade due to concerns regarding food safety and phytosanitary measures.
Jordan's export market for example was impacted in 1991 when countries in the region restricted imports of fruits and vegetables irrigated with inadequately treated wastewater.
Jordan implemented an aggressive campaign to rehabilitate and improve wastewater treatment plants introduced enforceable standards to protect the health of farmers
and consumers and continues to focus on this sensitive situation given the importance of regional and international trade.
North Americathe estimated volume of wastewater generated in North america each year is about 85 cubic kilometers of which 61 cubic kilometers are treated.
A cubic kilometer of wastewater is 1 trillion liters--about 220 billion US gallons. Annual use of treated wastewater accounts for 2. 3 cubic kilometers which is only 3. 8%of the wastewater treated in the region.
Thus while about 75%of the wastewater generated in North america is treated only a small portion is used.
While the data describing wastewater generation and treatment are available in Canada the data on wastewater use are not available.
However there are several projects underway suggest the use of wastewater in Canada at pilot scale.
An estimated 46%of California's annual reclaimed water use takes place in agriculture. In Florida the proportion is 44%.
%Increasingly stressed water resources motivate wastewater use in Arizona California and Texas while limited groundwater motivates water recycling
and reuse in Florida. Latin Americacomplete information on wastewater generation treatment and use is available from only 9 of 32 countries:
Argentina Bolivia Brazil Chile Dominican republic Guatemala Mexico Nicaragua and Peru. Even this information is relatively old as the data pertain largely to 1996-2002.
Ten countries have partial data available: Antigua and barbuda Belize Colombia Costa rica Cuba Ecuador El salvador Panama Paraguay and Venezuela.
Only about 20%of generated wastewater undergoes treatment in the Latin american countries for which pertinent data are available in part
because many Latin american countries do not have developed well wastewater collection and treatment systems. In 8 of 15 Latin american countries less than half the population is connected to wastewater collection
and treatment systemsrapid urbanization without sanitation facilities has caused major downstream pollution problems in this region. The urban population is projected to further increase by 130%in 2025
and by 166%in 2050in Chile untreated wastewater was used directly for agricultural purposes until 1992.
With widespread occurrence of cholera in Latin america the direct use of untreated wastewater was restricted in the country.
Water scarcity is not the main driver of wastewater use in most of Latin america. Rather farmers engage in wastewater use
because it provides a low-cost source of plant nutrients. Wastewater use in the region is given particularly important that the shortages in supply of phosphate
and potash fertilizers are projected to increase to 3. 5 and 4. 1 million tons by 2014.
Europecomplete information on wastewater generation treatment and use is available for only 10 countries in Europe--Cyprus France Germany Italy Malta Netherland Poland Portugal Spain
and United kingdom. Most of this information pertains to the last 10 years. Partial data are available for almost two-thirds of Europe including Austria Belgium Bosnia and herzegovina Bulgaria Croatia Czech republic Denmark Greece Hungary Ireland Luxembourg Kosovo Monaco Montenegro
Most of the wastewater generated in Europe (71%)undergoes treatment. In southern Europe reclaimed wastewater is used predominantly for agricultural irrigation (44%of the wastewater projects) and urban or environmental applications (37%of the projects.
In Northern europe wastewater is used primarily for environmental applications and industryrussian Federation and Independent States from the Soviet Unioncomplete information on wastewater generation treatment and use is available for 8 countries--Armenia Azerbaijan Kazakhstan Kyrgyzstan Latvia Lithuania Turkmenistan
and Uzbekistan (Table 4). Partial data are available for other countries--Belarus Estonia Georgia Republic of Moldova Russian Federation Tajikistan and Ukraine.
The volume of wastewater treated in the Russian Federation is about 14 cubic kilometers per year. Nearly 28%of this is treated in accordance with established regulations
while the remainder is emitted in inadequately treated form into water bodies. Middle east and North Africathe estimated volume of wastewater generated in the middle East
and North africa (MENA) region is 22.3 cubic kilometers per year of which 51%(11.4 cubic kilometers per year) is treated.
With the exception of Algeria and Iraq complete information on wastewater generation treatment and use is available from all countries in the region.
Treated wastewater use is essential in the water scarce MENA region. Currently 51%of treated wastewater is used for irrigation.
Some countries in the region are planning to increase the use of treated wastewater. For example Saudi arabia intends to increase wastewater use to 65%by 2016 (USEPA 2012.
Israel already uses 70%of the wastewater generated in the domestic sector. High-income countries in the region use treated wastewater for agricultural and landscape irrigation.
In Kuwait only vegetables that are eaten after cooking (potatoes and cauliflower) industrial crops forage crops (alfalfa and barely) and highway landscapes may be irrigated with treated wastewater in Kuwait.
Wastewater use represents about 10%of the Israeli national water supply and almost 20%of the water supply for irrigationsub Saharan Africaamong 48 Sub-Saharan African countries complete information on wastewater generation treatment and use is available from only three countries--Senegal Seychelles
and South africa. Even this information is old as the data from Seychelles and South africa pertain to 2000 to 2003.
The countries with partial data available are Botswana Burkina faso Cote d'ivoire Djibouti Eritrea Ethiopia Ghana Lesotho Mauritania Mauritius Namibia Swaziland and Uganda.
No data are available from the remaining 32 countries in the region. Most wastewater goes untreated in Sub-saharan africa where water pollution triggers the spread of waterborne diseases such as diarrhea and cholera.
In most cases the wastewater used for in agriculture is polluted. For example untreated wastewater is used for irrigation in the peri-urban zones around Kumasi in Ghana Dakar in Senegal Nairobi in Kenya and Bulawayo in Zimbabwe.
Given the inherent uncertainty regarding wastewater quality and nutrient content it is not possible for farmers to optimize the use of nutrients particularly
when using untreated wastewater. Oceaniacomplete information on all three aspects of wastewater is available only from Australia.
The volume of treated wastewater is available for New zealand but the information on the volume of wastewater generated
and treated wastewater used is not available. No information regarding wastewater is available from Fiji and the Solomon islands.
About 45%of the 450 wastewater use projects in Oceania are in agriculture sector. In Australia an estimated 0. 35 cubic kilometers of treated wastewater are used annually.
This volume accounts for 19%of the wastewater treated in the country and about 4%of the total water supplyin New zealand wastewater is used to irrigate golf courses
and for industrial applications but the volumes involved likely are smallasiainformation on all three aspects of wastewater is available from only 5 countries--China India Japan Republic of korea and Vietnam.
Partial data are available for 14 countries including Bangladesh Bhutan Cambodia Laos Malaysia Maldives Mongolia Myanmar Nepal Pakistan Philippines Singapore Sri lanka and Thailand.
Only about 32%of the wastewater generated in Asia is treatedjapan has adopted a comprehensive strategy for treated wastewater use.
In 2009 0. 2 cubic kilometers of treated wastewater were used in the country. More than half was used for environmental purposes such as landscape irrigation recreation and river maintenance.
Wastewater use in agriculture and industry is not substantial accounting only for 7%and 1%of the treated wastewater respectively.
In addition more than 3%of the treated wastewater is used for toilet-flushing. Japan's wastewater use strategy is somewhat unique as it is focused on meeting urban water needs rather than providing water primarily for agricultural uses.
An estimated 1. 3 million ha are irrigated with wastewater in China while an estimated 9500 ha are irrigated with untreated wastewater in Vietnam.
At least 2%of the agricultural land around most Vietnamese cities is irrigated with wastewater and much of that land is planted in rice.
An estimated 32500 ha are irrigated with wastewater in Pakistan. Most of the wastewater is untreated and yet there are no clear regulations in Pakistan regarding
which crops may be irrigated with wastewater. Direct use of untreated wastewater is also common in India where in 1985 an estimated 73000 ha were irrigated with wastewater.
The increasing demand for plant nutrients in Asia provides an incentive for farmers and public officials to develop safe methods for distributing
and managing wastewater for use in agriculture. Projections suggest that the potash supply in East asia will be much smaller than demand by 2014.
The projected annual nutrient deficits for South Asia include 4. 3 million tons for nitrogen 7. 4 million tons for phosphorus and 5. 1 million tons
for potash. Story Source: The above story is provided based on materials by United nations University. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length h
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