Reclamation of Treated Wastewater for Irrigation in Chile: Perspectives of the Current State and Challenges
Reclamation of treated wastewater is considered a viable option for reducing the agricultural and national water deficit, especially in Mediterranean-type and arid climatic conditions. Given that Chile is a country around 40% of whose territory is classified as semi-arid and desert and 20% as Medite...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-02-01
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| Series: | Water |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/14/4/627 |
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| author | Ismael Vera-Puerto Hugo Valdés Marcos Bueno Christian Correa Jorge Olave Marcos Carrasco-Benavides Flavia Schiappacasse Carlos A. Arias |
| author_facet | Ismael Vera-Puerto Hugo Valdés Marcos Bueno Christian Correa Jorge Olave Marcos Carrasco-Benavides Flavia Schiappacasse Carlos A. Arias |
| author_sort | Ismael Vera-Puerto |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Reclamation of treated wastewater is considered a viable option for reducing the agricultural and national water deficit, especially in Mediterranean-type and arid climatic conditions. Given that Chile is a country around 40% of whose territory is classified as semi-arid and desert and 20% as Mediterranean, with serious water scarcity problems, and which uses a great deal of the resource in agricultural irrigation, the present paper offers perspectives on the current state of treated wastewater reuse and considers challenges to improving the development of water reclamation for irrigation in Chile as a case study. The methods followed included a systematic literature review to answer two important questions: (a) What is the state of reclamation of treated wastewater for irrigation in Chile? and (b) What criteria/parameters determine the feasibility of reclaiming treated wastewater for irrigation in Chile? The results showed that Chile has been affected by climate change in a short time: a megadrought has occurred over the last ten years, increasing the necessity for the country to secure alternative water sources for irrigation. The country has advanced greatly in wastewater treatment coverage, achieving almost 100% in urban areas, with technologies that can produce quality water as a new water source for irrigation. However, the lack of regulations and limited frameworks could explain the low direct reuse at present—below 1% of total flow. Regarding challenges, the necessity of updates to Chile’s institutional and legal frameworks, besides the inclusion of rural communities and the study of emerging contaminants, will be discussed. By these means, it will be possible to more efficiently utilize recycled wastewater as a new source for irrigation in this country. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T20:50:50Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-9f0126d2dd2a47f0a8583448c332c3c8 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2073-4441 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T20:50:50Z |
| publishDate | 2022-02-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Water |
| spelling | doaj.art-9f0126d2dd2a47f0a8583448c332c3c82023-11-23T22:34:55ZengMDPI AGWater2073-44412022-02-0114462710.3390/w14040627Reclamation of Treated Wastewater for Irrigation in Chile: Perspectives of the Current State and ChallengesIsmael Vera-Puerto0Hugo Valdés1Marcos Bueno2Christian Correa3Jorge Olave4Marcos Carrasco-Benavides5Flavia Schiappacasse6Carlos A. Arias7Centro de Innovación en Ingeniería Aplicada (CIIA), Departamento de Obras Civiles, Facultad de Ciencias de la Ingeniería, Universidad Católica del Maule, Av. San Miguel 3605, Talca 3460000, ChileCentro de Innovación en Ingeniería Aplicada (CIIA), Departamento de Computación e Industrias, Facultad de Ciencias de la Ingeniería, Universidad Católica del Maule, Av. San Miguel 3605, Talca 3460000, ChileCentro de Innovación en Ingeniería Aplicada (CIIA), Departamento de Obras Civiles, Facultad de Ciencias de la Ingeniería, Universidad Católica del Maule, Av. San Miguel 3605, Talca 3460000, ChileCentro de Innovación en Ingeniería Aplicada (CIIA), Departamento de Obras Civiles, Facultad de Ciencias de la Ingeniería, Universidad Católica del Maule, Av. San Miguel 3605, Talca 3460000, ChileCentro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Recursos Hídricos (CIDERH), Universidad Arturo Prat, Casilla 121, Iquique 1100000, ChileDepartamento de Ciencias Agrarias, Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias y Forestales, Universidad Católica del Maule, Curicó 3340000, ChileFacultad de Ciencias Agrarias, Universidad de Talca, Talca 3460000, ChileDepartment of Biology-Aquatic Biology, Aarhus University, Ole Worms Allé 1, 8000 Aarhus, DenmarkReclamation of treated wastewater is considered a viable option for reducing the agricultural and national water deficit, especially in Mediterranean-type and arid climatic conditions. Given that Chile is a country around 40% of whose territory is classified as semi-arid and desert and 20% as Mediterranean, with serious water scarcity problems, and which uses a great deal of the resource in agricultural irrigation, the present paper offers perspectives on the current state of treated wastewater reuse and considers challenges to improving the development of water reclamation for irrigation in Chile as a case study. The methods followed included a systematic literature review to answer two important questions: (a) What is the state of reclamation of treated wastewater for irrigation in Chile? and (b) What criteria/parameters determine the feasibility of reclaiming treated wastewater for irrigation in Chile? The results showed that Chile has been affected by climate change in a short time: a megadrought has occurred over the last ten years, increasing the necessity for the country to secure alternative water sources for irrigation. The country has advanced greatly in wastewater treatment coverage, achieving almost 100% in urban areas, with technologies that can produce quality water as a new water source for irrigation. However, the lack of regulations and limited frameworks could explain the low direct reuse at present—below 1% of total flow. Regarding challenges, the necessity of updates to Chile’s institutional and legal frameworks, besides the inclusion of rural communities and the study of emerging contaminants, will be discussed. By these means, it will be possible to more efficiently utilize recycled wastewater as a new source for irrigation in this country.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/14/4/627Chilean agriculturewastewater treatment and reusegreywaterarid climateMediterranean climateAtacama Desert |
| spellingShingle | Ismael Vera-Puerto Hugo Valdés Marcos Bueno Christian Correa Jorge Olave Marcos Carrasco-Benavides Flavia Schiappacasse Carlos A. Arias Reclamation of Treated Wastewater for Irrigation in Chile: Perspectives of the Current State and Challenges Water Chilean agriculture wastewater treatment and reuse greywater arid climate Mediterranean climate Atacama Desert |
| title | Reclamation of Treated Wastewater for Irrigation in Chile: Perspectives of the Current State and Challenges |
| title_full | Reclamation of Treated Wastewater for Irrigation in Chile: Perspectives of the Current State and Challenges |
| title_fullStr | Reclamation of Treated Wastewater for Irrigation in Chile: Perspectives of the Current State and Challenges |
| title_full_unstemmed | Reclamation of Treated Wastewater for Irrigation in Chile: Perspectives of the Current State and Challenges |
| title_short | Reclamation of Treated Wastewater for Irrigation in Chile: Perspectives of the Current State and Challenges |
| title_sort | reclamation of treated wastewater for irrigation in chile perspectives of the current state and challenges |
| topic | Chilean agriculture wastewater treatment and reuse greywater arid climate Mediterranean climate Atacama Desert |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/14/4/627 |
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