Using Nonconventional Water in Irrigation of Olive Trees and Its Effect on Olive Oil Properties

The response of olive orchard with same age and type to irrigation with treated municipal wastewater and freshwater was investigated in three years. Physical and chemical properties of the treated municipal wastewater reuse in agriculture (the effluent) produced by the Sheikh Ejleen wastewater treatment plant in Gaza Strip, freshwater, soil, and olive oil were determined and compared with Palestinian and international standards. The biological oxygen demand (BOD) of Sheikh Ejleen effluent is 60 mg∙l−1, which indicates low quality effluent. The results indicate that most of olive oil quality parameters— including heavy metals and trace elements for both fruits irrigated with treated wastewater or irrigated with freshwater—fall within the acceptable standard limit values. Moreover, soil analysis shows that organic content and cation exchange capacity were improved in soil irrigated with treated wastewater in comparison with that irrigated with freshwater. The results also show that there is no trace elements or heavy metals accumulation in soil.The authors thank Eng. Haneen N. Al-Sbihi and Eng. Yousra A. Abu-Sharekh for the help in samples collection and data analysis during their graduation project in the Environmental Engineering Department—Islamic University of Gaza. The project Water and Livelihood Initiatives (WLI)-ICARDA is highly acknowledged for supporting this work to be published

Performance Indicators for Wastewater Reuse Systems in Gaza Governorates

The purpose of the study was to apply performance indicators on wastewater reuse in the Palestinian Territories (Gaza) to assess on the impact of waste water and grey water projects on the ambient environment, labor costs and consumers in terms of technical, socio-economic and environmental aspects leading to safe and productive use of wastewater for crop production systems at the farm level and similar use of grey water at the household level. The study was conducted in Gaza in the period of 1 November 2012 to 1 August 2013. A field survey covered the main groups of interest for using treated wastewater, and questionnaires were designed for the target group. The questionnaires were distributed to 30 beneficiaries from Al-Zaitoun District and Khan Younis Governorate, filled, collected, sorted, and documented. Descriptive statistics were calculated from the collected data. Interesting result of data analysis that addressed key factors are discussed in this paper. Most farmers were willing to use treated wastewater in principle, and so need to be more educated and trained in the reuse of reclaimed water in terms of social, economic, environmental issues Keywords: performance indicators, agriculture, wastewater, Palestinian territories (Gaza

Wastewater Reuse in Gaza Strip

The Middle-East region has an arid climate with very scarce water resources, which are under heavy and increasing stress. Therefore, it is vulnerable to climate change that will eventually reduce rainfall, due to changes in oceanoatmospheric circulation patterns

Towards strategies for pollution control on the use of wastewater effluent in sustainable agriculture in the Gaza Strip

The agriculture sector is a major consumer of groundwater in the Gaza Strip, where the level of groundwater, the main water resource, is being depleted and its quality is adversely affected. Wastewater reuse is identified to solve the water shortage problem in the Gaza Strip in the National Water Policy. However, treated effluent has been successfully applied in many countries, though it should be subject to many major concerns, which eventually have adverse impacts on health, crops and soil. The key elements of Palestinian draft pollution control strategy have been addressed. Such a strategy should be integrated to mitigate the negative hygienic limitations and optimise crop production to achieve the sustainable agriculture and food security under water scarcity

Present situation of wastewater and the possible prospect for its reuse in the Gaza Strip

The level of groundwater, the main water resource in the Gaza Strip, is being depleted and its quality is adversely affected. The agriculture sector is a major consumer of groundwater. Wastewater reuse appears to be a promising option to cover part of the water demand. The existing three (Beit Lahia, Gaza and Rafah) wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are overloaded. The quality of the effluent from Gaza and even Beit-Lahia WWTPs would be acceptable whereas that of Rafah WWTP is of poor quality. Acceptance to use treated wastewater for irrigation is a crucial aspect to ensure the success of any reuse project. Opinion of 79 farmers was sought for using treated wastewater, through a questionnaire. The majority of farmers (68; 86.1%) agreed to use the treated wastewater for irrigation. Most of the farmers (71; 89.9%) appeared willing to pay for treated wastewater. There is a master plan to construct three