ABSTRACT
Water, an important natural resource needs to be conserved and managed to meet the increasing demand of water for drinking, agriculture, hydro-power generation, and ecological balance, because a continuous increase in the population is putting tremendous pressure on water resources. Water is limited and mostly water is confined in oceans, polar regions, and glaciers, which is not available for human use. In the quest of jobs, people are migrating from rural areas to urban areas. Per capita requirement of water is more in urban areas and these areas generate a greater volume of wastewater (WW). Collectively, a larger amount of freshwater is being diverted for domestic, commercial, and industrial use. Sewage water is being disposed of in rivers without treating making environment and soil polluted.
In the present study, a proper alternative for sewage water has been suggested as the use of WW for irrigation purposes. Various sources of pollution like organic compounds, domestic, heavy metals, and environmental fate of pollutants in WW irrigated soils have been discussed. Major positive impacts of WW reuse as irrigation on crop yield, soil quality (physical structure, soil microbial activity), and negative impacts on soil like pollution by pathogenic microbial pollution and its effect have been presented.
