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Up and down the sanitation ladder: Harmonizing the treatment and multiple-barrier perspectives on risk reduction in wastewater irrigated agriculture

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Irrigation and Drainage Systems

Abstract

This paper discusses two prominent perspectives in the debate on risk reduction in wastewater irrigation; reliance on conventional wastewater treatment and the multiple-barrier approach. The treatment perspective is based on water-quality standards for wastewater irrigation with treatment considered the ultimate risk reduction measure. The somewhat broader multiple-barrier perspective supports the use of a combination of pre-farm, on-farm and post-farm barriers, including, where possible, wastewater treatment, to meet required health targets. The discussion in this paper shows that each perspective has strengths and limitations. Rather than being opposing philosophies, they both support health risk reduction but in different ways depending on the level of the country in the sanitation ladder. Since each perspective has limitations, the recommendation is to capitalize on their strengths and explore synergies to optimize their applications for optimum risk reduction.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. International Water Management Institute (IWMI) Africa Office, PMB CT 112, Cantonments, Accra, Ghana

    Bernard Keraita

  2. International Water Management Institute (IWMI) Headquarters, Colombo, Sri-Lanka

    Pay Drechsel

  3. Department of International Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark

    Bernard Keraita & Flemming Konradsen

Authors
  1. Bernard Keraita
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  2. Pay Drechsel
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  3. Flemming Konradsen
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Correspondence to Bernard Keraita.

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Keraita, B., Drechsel, P. & Konradsen, F. Up and down the sanitation ladder: Harmonizing the treatment and multiple-barrier perspectives on risk reduction in wastewater irrigated agriculture. Irrig Drainage Syst 24, 23–35 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10795-009-9087-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10795-009-9087-5

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