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(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H048969)
While water pollution is starting to receive the attention it deserves, the contribution of agriculture requires greater consideration as current agricultural practices have an unprecedented impact on water quality. This paper reviews knowledge in selected areas of agricultural water pollution (AWP) and identifies future research needs. These include source attribution, emerging contaminants, costs and incentives for adoption of pollution reduction measures. Future research priorities include identification and testing of locally appropriate markers; modelling the effects of contaminants on biota and pathways of microbial contaminants; harmonization of data collection and calculation of economic costs of AWP across countries and projects; and how to better share relevant knowledge to incentivize improved agricultural practices.
2 Scott, C. A.; Zhang, F.; Mukherji, A.; Immerzeel, W.; Mustafa, D.; Bharati, Luna; Zhang, H.; Albrecht, T.; Lutz, A.; Nepal, S.; Siddiqi, A.; Kuemmerle, H.; Qadir, M.; Bhuchar, S.; Prakash, A.; Sinha, R. 2019. Water in the Hindu Kush Himalaya. In Wester, P.; Mishra, A.; Mukherji, A.; Shrestha, A. B. (Eds.). The Hindu Kush Himalaya assessment: mountains, climate change, sustainability and people. Cham, Switzerland: Springer. pp.257-299.
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H049103)
(28.3 MB)
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H050538)
(5.28 MB)
Water is a limiting factor for economic and social development in most arid and semi-arid regions on Earth. The deliberate recharge of depleted aquifer storage and later recovery, known as managed aquifer recharge (MAR), is an important tool for water management and sustainability. Increasing stresses on groundwater and subsequent overdrafts have sparked the development of several advanced MAR technologies, including soil aquifer treatment (SAT). SAT is a method that recharges wastewater effluent through intermittent percolation in infiltration basins. Another emerging MAR approach currently explored is the off-season flooding of agricultural lands, known as agricultural MAR, or Ag-MAR. Utilizing agricultural fields as temporary infiltration basins during periods of dormancy increases the availability of land resources for groundwater recharge, rather than designating land explicitly for MAR. As land resources for SAT become limited and the amount of available treated wastewater (TWW) increases, we propose the idea of agricultural SAT, or Ag-SAT, as a combination of SAT and Ag-MAR. This review paper aims to provide an in-depth look into the approach and application of Ag-MAR and the possibilities of integrating Ag-MAR with SAT. Ag-SAT comprises the off-season flooding of agricultural land using TWW for groundwater recharge and subsequent reuse. Ag-SAT could provide alternative infiltration sites for SAT where available surface area dedicated to infiltration is becoming a limiting factor. Additionally, the treated wastewater could potentially provide nutrients to agricultural fields during the flooding cycles. Potential advantages, disadvantages, and knowledge gaps related to Ag-SAT are presented and discussed.
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H052153)
(8.61 MB)
This publication, Water Quality in Agriculture: Risks and Risk Mitigation, emphasizes technical solutions and good agricultural practices, including risk mitigation measures suitable for the contexts of differently resourced institutions working in rural as well as urban and peri-urban settings in low- and middle-income countries. With a focus on sustainability of the overall land use system, the guidelines also cover possible downstream impacts of farm-level decisions. As each country has a range of site-specific conditions related to climate, soil and water quality, crop type and variety, as well as management options, subnational adjustments to the presented guidelines are recommended. Water Quality in Agriculture: Risks and Risk Mitigation, is intended for use by national and subnational governmental authorities, farm and project managers, extension officers, consultants and engineers to evaluate water quality data, and identify potential problems and solutions related to water quality. The presented guidelines will also be of value to the scientific research community and university students.
5 Qadir, M.; Drechsel, Pay; Salcedo, F. P.; Robles, L. P.; Ben-Gal, A.; Grattan, S. R. 2023. Chemical risks and risk management measures of relevance to crop production with special consideration of salinity. In Drechsel, Pay; Marjani Zadeh, S.; Salcedo, F. P. (Eds.). Water quality in agriculture: risks and risk mitigation. Rome, Italy: FAO; Colombo, Sri Lanka: International Water Management Institute (IWMI). pp.41-75.
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H052242)
(3.78 MB)
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H052618)
(5.95 MB) (5.95 MB)
Microplastics (MPs) composed of different polymers with various shapes, within a vast granulometric distribution (1 µm - 5 mm) and with a wide variety of physicochemical surface and bulk characteristics spiral around the globe, with different atmospheric, oceanic, cryospheric, and terrestrial residence times, while interacting with other pollutants and biota. The challenges of microplastic pollution are related to the complex relationships between the microplastic generation mechanisms (physical, chemical, and biological), their physicochemical properties, their interactions with other pollutants and microorganisms, the changes in their properties with aging, and their small sizes that facilitate their diffusion and transportation between the air, water, land, and biota, thereby promoting their ubiquity. Early career researchers (ERCs) constitute an essential part of the scientific community committed to overcoming the challenges of microplastic pollution with their new ideas and innovative scientific perspectives for the development of remediation technologies. However, because of the enormous amount of scientific information available, it may be difficult for ERCs to determine the complexity of this environmental issue. This mini-review aims to provide a quick and updated overview of the essential insights of microplastic pollution to ERCs to help them acquire the background needed to develop highly innovative physical, chemical, and biological remediation technologies, as well as valorization proposals and environmental education and awareness campaigns. Moreover, the recommendations for the development of holistic microplastic pollution remediation strategies presented here can help ERCs propose technologies considering the environmental, social, and practical dimensions of microplastic pollution while fulfilling the current government policies to manage this plastic waste.
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: IWMI Record No: H052848)
(1.30 MB)
The African Ministers’ Council on Water (AMCOW) Secretariat committed to design and implement an African Water Quality Program (AWaQ) in its Strategic Operational Plan (2020-2024) considering the guiding frameworks it uses such as the Africa Water Vision 2025, United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and the African Union Agenda 2063: The Africa We Want. AMCOW reached out to the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) to support the development of such a program.
AWaQ builds on the rich experiences and lessons learned from past and ongoing regional and subregional water quality initiatives across Africa by different players, including African Union institutions, and the wider members of the World Water Quality Alliance (WWQA), as well as the AMCOW African Water and Sanitation Sector Monitoring and Reporting System (WASSMO).
The five phases of developing an African Water Quality Program (AWaQ) are explained in the following papers:
1. State of Water Quality Monitoring and Pollution Control in Africa (phase 1-2)
2. Innovations in Water Quality Monitoring and Management in Africa (phase 3-4)
3. A Framework for an African Water Quality Program (AWaQ) (phase 5)
4. Country Water Quality Profiles
This paper is the second in the above list and documents the greatest innovations in water quality monitoring and management in Africa, and proposes interventions to strengthen Africa’s current water quality monitoring and management efforts. Innovations related to monitoring program design, analytical techniques and instruments, deployment of instrumentation and approaches to water quality monitoring are presented together with their applicability and suitability for implementation in Africa. Similarly, water quality management interventions — policy and regulatory mechanisms, catchment-based management, data management and sharing, wastewater reuse and nature-based solutions, among others — are examined. The most suitable interventions are proposed for African contexts using criteria such as affordability, scalability and flexibility.
Key findings of this paper highlight the following:
1. There are numerous innovations within water quality monitoring and management. However, not all of them may be suitable for implementation in resource-constrained environments characteristic of many parts of Africa. For example, statistical analysis and modelling may require large amounts of existing monitoring data currently unavailable in most African countries. Nonetheless, other interventions such as the priority monitoring approach can be beneficial in optimizing resource utilization. Similarly, technological interventions such as multi-parameter sensors for basic water quality variables are now widely available and affordable in the provision of in situ results and lessening the need for laboratory analysis.
2. Available and existing traditional methods of water quality monitoring and management offer a good starting point to further strengthen and streamline efforts for increasing efficiency and effectiveness. Currently available laboratory facilities may benefit from instrumentation upgrades and continuous staff training.
3. There is scope for community and citizen engagement in the various processes of water resources monitoring and management. There is evidence that this enables success where governments do not have the monitoring capacity or adequate resources.
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