The irrigation suitability potential of an effluent treated by a pseudo‐natural wetland

Abstract

The performance of a pseudo‐natural wetland to purify wastewater for irrigation potential was explored in this study. To study the system's performance and the hazard level of the raw wastewater and treated effluent, several water quality parameters were chosen, including electrical conductivity (EC), total dissolved solids (TDS), sodium (Na+), calcium (Ca2+) and magnesium (Mg2+). Four different sampling points (inlet, two intermediate points, and the outlet) were investigated in the study. According to the electrical conductivity, wastewater flowing to the wetland was classified as category four (C4), ‘extremely high salinity’ and thus unfit for irrigation. Both intermediate sampling points were in C3, whereas the outlet sampling point was in C1. According to SAR, 20% of the samples collected at the inlet were classified as ‘very high sodium hazard’ (S4), 45% as ‘high sodium hazard’ (S3) and 35% as ‘medium sodium hazard’ (S2). The findings of this study also demonstrated that the pseudo‐natural wetland can be significantly effective in reducing pollution and providing suitable water for irrigation. Furthermore, the findings raise greater awareness of the importance of protecting and conserving these valuable resources, particularly in urban areas.