Recycled wastewater is considered as a sustainable source of irrigation water. Despite commendable safety records, viral contamination of agricultural products has occurred the past causing disease outbreaks. This review examines the apprehension that the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) may also spread through recycled wastewater irrigation (RWI) industry. The novel SARS-CoV-2 is now perceived as an enteric pathogen, and has been found to remain stable in the wastewater for days. Mounting evidences also suggest that viral particles shed by infected individuals through sewage, and greywater is much higher (up to 10 Log10) than the amount typically removed (6-7 Log10) through the recycled water disinfection processes. Such gap indicated an increased risk of infection through fecal-oral transmission route. This study also identified greywater irrigation schemes posing a higher risk of transmission of SARS-CoV-2. It was recommended that countries putting greywater in the ‘low risk’ category may rewrite the safety guidelines in post COVID-19 times. This review also suggest that the choice of irrigation method could be critical in protecting the farmers, and the consumers from possible infections during the pandemic. In this regard, irrigation methods (i.e. sprinkler) that generate airborne droplet (leading to aerosols) may be operated with caution when public spaces are in the vicinity. The study also indicated that the developing countries should regulate surface irrigation practice that pump water from polluted rivers during the pandemic.
Groundwater is an alternative source of water for human consumption. Groundwater at Research Centre of Soft Soil (RECESS), Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia (UTHM) is one of the water sources that available to be used. Unfortunately, it has a high content of chloride and sulphate concentration in which originated from the mineral content in the ground. This research was conducted to identify the effectiveness of the Nature Groundwater Eco-Treatment (N-GET) system that has been designed at RECESS in removing sulphate and chloride concentration as well as pH and turbidity parameter. N-GET system is a natural treatment process without mixing any substances intended to improve the quality of groundwater can give benefits to users. N-GET system in this study uses two treatment tanks in the treatment of groundwater which are aeration tanks, sedimentation tanks, and three sets of filters which were activated carbon filter, Do-It-Yourself (DIY) filter, and ceramic filter. The chloride and sulphate parameters were tested with 12 numbers of the sample while pH and turbidity were tested with 63 numbers of the sample. Using combination with sedimentation and aeration, ceramic filtration were performing better by reducing the pH of the samples by 3.9% towards neutrality and removed 32.6 % of sulphate, 13.1 % turbidity, and 33.0 % of chloride concentration from RECESS groundwater in comparison to an activated carbon filter, Do-It-Yourself (DIY) filter. Then, the effectiveness of each filter based on design flow and types of particle size in the filter. Therefore, the capability of each filter able to remove the specific contaminant as designed need.
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