The European Commission has urged EU member states to reuse treated urban wastewater for irrigation in agriculture. Currently, more than 40 billion cubic meters of wastewater are purified annually in the EU, but according to the European Commission, barely one billion cubic meters are reused.
Countries such as Israel, Singapore, and Australia already have better systems to channel wastewater to farms – and Brussels believes that in a few years EU countries could reuse six billion cubic meters.
A large part of Europe is once again plagued by a prolonged dry period this year, and the Commission warns that due to climate change, in about ten years half of the river basins could run dry.
Due to persistent drought, low water levels, and drying ditches and rivers, more and more EU countries are imposing irrigation bans in agriculture and horticulture. Especially in Southern European countries, smaller harvests are already being anticipated, sometimes reaching losses of up to a quarter.
The European Commission has now drawn up a guide for the EU countries on the reuse of both rainwater and purified water from sewage treatment plants.
This includes not only criteria for the permissible levels of pollution but also a categorization of agricultural and horticultural products, primarily focusing on the extent to which future food items can be exposed to pollution or contamination.
"We must stop wasting water and use this resource more efficiently to adapt to the changing climate and ensure the security and sustainability of our agricultural supply," said Virginijus Sinkevicius, EU Commissioner for Environment, Fisheries, and Oceans.
A new EU regulation on the use of water will come into effect starting June 2023, but the Commission wants EU countries to act quickly to redirect treated water for irrigation.