pakistan murtaza finalcountryreport2012
Title: Wastewater Production, Treatment and Use in Pakistan
Ghulam Murtaza1 and Munir H. Zia2
Associate Professor/Director Farms
1
Institute of Soil and Environmental Sciences, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad-38040,
Pakistan. Email: gmurtazauaf@gmail.com
2
Research & Development Coordinator, Fauji Fertilizer Company Limited, Head Office, 156-The
Mall, Rawalpindi Cantt, Pakistan. Email: munirzia@gmail.com
Abstract:
Pakistan, once a water-surplus country, is now a water deficit country. The water availability has decreased from 1,299 m³ per capita in 1996-97 to 1,100 m³ per capita in 2006 and it is projected to less than 700 m³ per capita by 2025. Therefore, search for other non-conventional water resources for irrigation i.e. wastewater, has become important. In Pakistan, domestic and industrial wastewater is either discharged directly to a sewer system, a natural drain or water body, a nearby field or an internal septic tank. Mostly, this wastewater is not treated and none of the cities have any biological treatment process except Islamabad and Karachi, and even these cities treat only a small proportion
(<8%) of their wastewater before disposal. The wastewater used for irrigation is valued by farmers, mainly because of its nutrient contents and reliability of supply and exert positive impacts on agriculture land values, households, monthly income and employment due to reuse of wastewater despite of the ill effects of wastewater irrigation on soil physical and chemical properties in addition to contamination of human food chain and related health risks. Limited information is available in this regard. There seems no national policy in effect on sustainable use of wastewater in this country.
Problems of wastewater disposal tend to stem from distortions due to economy-wide policies, failure of targeted environmental policies and institutional failures. Thus laws and regulations have been formulated about treatment and disposal of wastewater but their
Ghulam Murtaza1 and Munir H. Zia2
Associate Professor/Director Farms
1
Institute of Soil and Environmental Sciences, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad-38040,
Pakistan. Email: gmurtazauaf@gmail.com
2
Research & Development Coordinator, Fauji Fertilizer Company Limited, Head Office, 156-The
Mall, Rawalpindi Cantt, Pakistan. Email: munirzia@gmail.com
Abstract:
Pakistan, once a water-surplus country, is now a water deficit country. The water availability has decreased from 1,299 m³ per capita in 1996-97 to 1,100 m³ per capita in 2006 and it is projected to less than 700 m³ per capita by 2025. Therefore, search for other non-conventional water resources for irrigation i.e. wastewater, has become important. In Pakistan, domestic and industrial wastewater is either discharged directly to a sewer system, a natural drain or water body, a nearby field or an internal septic tank. Mostly, this wastewater is not treated and none of the cities have any biological treatment process except Islamabad and Karachi, and even these cities treat only a small proportion
(<8%) of their wastewater before disposal. The wastewater used for irrigation is valued by farmers, mainly because of its nutrient contents and reliability of supply and exert positive impacts on agriculture land values, households, monthly income and employment due to reuse of wastewater despite of the ill effects of wastewater irrigation on soil physical and chemical properties in addition to contamination of human food chain and related health risks. Limited information is available in this regard. There seems no national policy in effect on sustainable use of wastewater in this country.
Problems of wastewater disposal tend to stem from distortions due to economy-wide policies, failure of targeted environmental policies and institutional failures. Thus laws and regulations have been formulated about treatment and disposal of wastewater but their
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