[이탈리아] FAO, “물재이용으로 농업용수 부족 극복 가능”
국제연합식량농업기구(FAO)는 3월 물 재이용에 초점을 맞춘 3월 세계 물의 날을 앞두고 식량 수요와 물 부족 현상이 계속됨에 따라 폐수를 농작물 재배에 사용할 수 있는 자원으로 관리해야 한다고 밝혔다.
이미 농업이 전 세계 담수 이용의 70%를 차지하고 있으며, 2050년까지 식량 수요가 적어도 50% 증가할 것으로 예상됨에 따라 농업의 물수요가 확대 될 것으로 보인다.
농업에서 폐수를 처리, 관리 및 사용하기 위해 전 세계에서 활용되고 있는 많은 기술과 접근법이 존재하며, 이들 중 상당수는 지역 천연 자원에 특화되어 있다. 이들이 사용되는 농경 시스템과 농작물이 생산되고 있다. 또한, 폐수는 물부족에 대한 도움 외에도 종종 영양분이 많아서 좋은 비료가 될 수 있다.
물공급이 제한적이고 폐수가 고도로 오염된 이집트에서는 습지 건설이 유망하고 경제적으로 실행 가능한 접근법으로 입증되고 있다. 튀니지의 폐수는 목재 생산 및 사막화 방지 노력을 지원하는 농림업 프로젝트에 널리 사용되고 있다. 요르단에서는 재사용 물이 전국의 전체 물 사용량의 25%를 차지한다.
[원문보기]
Water reuse can quench agriculture’s growing thirst, says FAO
With food demand and water scarcity rising, it's time to stop treating wastewater like garbage and instead manage it as a resource that can be used to grow crops, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
Ahead of the World Water Day in March, which this year has a focus on water reuse, FAO has said that if properly managed, wastewater can be used safely to support crop production ? directly through irrigation or indirectly by recharging aquifers.
Already, agriculture accounts for 70% of global freshwater withdrawals - with demand for food estimated to grow by at least 50% by 2050, agriculture's water needs are poised to expand.
A number of technologies and approaches exist that are being utilized around the globe to treat, manage, and use wastewater in agriculture, many of them specific to the local natural resource base, the farming systems in which they are being used, and the crops that are being produced.
In addition to helping cope with water scarcity, wastewater often has a high nutrient load, making it a good fertilizer.
In Egypt, for example, where water supplies are limited and wastewater tends to be highly contaminated, constructed wetlands are proving to be a promising, economically viable approach to treatment. In Tunisia wastewater is being widely used in agroforestry projects, supporting both wood production as well as anti-desertification efforts. In Jordan, reclaimed water represents 25% of all total water use in the country.
"Although more detailed data on the practice is lacking, we can say that, globally, only a small proportion of treated wastewater is being used for agriculture, most of it municipal wastewater. But increasing numbers of countries - Egypt, Jordan,, Mexico, Spain and the United States, for example - have been exploring the possibilities as they wrestle with mounting water scarcity," said Marlos De Souza, a senior officer with FAO's Land and Water Division.
"So far, the reuse of wastewater for irrigation has been most successful near cities, where it is widely available and usually free-of-charge or at low cost, and where there is a market for agricultural produce, including non-food crops. But the practice can be used in rural areas as well - indeed it has long been employed by many smallholder farmers.”
De Souza added: "When safely used and managed to avoid health and environmental risks, wastewater can be converted from a burden to an asset."
[출처 = Water World / 2017년 2월 3일]