Purushothaman, Seema and Patil, Sheetal and Vanjari, Raghvendra S. and A. R., Shwetha
(2021)
Urban wastewater for agriculture : farmers’ perspectives from peri-urban Bengaluru.
Working Paper.
Azim Premji University, Bengauru.
Abstract
Urbanisation, while offering marketing opportunities, inflicts considerable impacts
on ecology, health, and livelihoods in the peri-urban farming areas. The city demands
perishable products that need input intensive farming. In parallel, it also discharges domestic
sewage and industrial effluents into peri-urban water bodies. The availability of wastewater
for irrigation has been a saviour for peri-urban farmers, amidst the many constraints
they face. Using nutrient-rich wastewater is also a smart strategy of combining fertiliser
application with irrigation. This can balance nutrient flows between the consumption and
production hubs. Concomitant and discernible implications of this process on the health of
farmers, consumers, and the peri-urban environment, rarely receive needed attention. Even
the discourse on sustainable cities seldom conveys the imperative of reducing consumptive use
of water to curtail its forward and backward impacts.
A participatory assessment using focus group discussions, multi-criteria mapping and a
stakeholder workshop was conducted in Byramangala in order to understand the farmers’
perspectives on their future as beneficiaries of wastewater (domestic sewage with industrial
effluents) generated in the Vrishabhavathy watershed of Bengaluru city. Farmers were trying
hard to adapt to the heavily polluted environment manifested in the restricted choice of crops,
lower prices fetched by their produce, health impacts and resultant socio-cultural fallouts.
The study also revealed high priority that farmers attach to health imparting attributes of
agriculture. Their concerns on the two possible scenarios of wastewater supply were elicited.
Farmers’ preference for effectively treated wastewater was found to be overshadowed by its
potential diversion for urban use. Despite concerns on water quality, they were keen to continue
agriculture and would expect to be informed in advance about any impending diversions.
The political-economic ‘eminent domain’ of urbanism excludes the farmer constituency from
strategizing freshwater extraction and the disposal of its wastewater. It needs to be confronted
with concerted efforts to build institutional capacities for a decentralised wastewater
governance, inclusive of downstream farmers, in place of pacifying measures like installing
subsidised water purifiers for domestic use. The development and sustainability benefits of
such efforts will include reliable farm livelihoods built on regional circular economies along
with safe and healthy food and the environment in the urban - peri-urban continuum.
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