Wastewater often used in urban agriculture: study

0 Comments | AFP, August, 2008

STOCKHOLM (AFP) — Wastewater is widely used to irrigate urban agricultural land in developing countries, a practice that has both advantages and disadvantages, a 53-city study presented at a water conference in Stockholm showed Monday.

Wastewater agriculture contributes importantly to urban food supplies and helps provide a livelihood for the poor, but can also lead to health risks for consumers, particularly for vegetables consumed uncooked, the report by the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) said.

Wastewater has a "large potential... for both helping and hurting great numbers of urban consumers," IWMI researcher Liqa Raschid-Sally said in a statement.

The survey showed that 80 percent of cities studied were using untreated or partially...