STAFF REPORT IBD: Farmers – particularly small landholders – have now opted to use sewage water to increase crop productivity as, according to them, this kind of water carries all the natural contents required to increase the per acre yield.
Agriculturists contend that the use of effluent has increased crop yields by up to 25 per cent. Given such claims, most of the small farmers prefer wastewater for vegetable fields in place of expensive pesticides and fertilizers.
“Tube well irrigation is fast becoming a dream for agriculturalists because of the high price of fuel needed to power them. “The government is not giving farmers any incentives, as they do in India,” they complained.
A farmer Arshad Mahmood revealed that the use of wastewater lessens the cost of production by a whopping 40 per cent.
“Vegetables need frequent watering for growth, but there is no electricity to run tube wells. The only source available is to draw water using diesel pumps, which is unaffordable for small farmers,” he claimed adding that the sewage contains certain essential nutrients like nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus, which are essential to grow crops.
However, medical experts consider that increasing use of sewage for irrigation purposes poses significant health risks for the human beings who consume produce from such farms.