The European Union has established new rules for the quality of water that can be used for irrigation in agriculture and horticulture. Those water spray quality criteria should be introduced in EU countries by three years at the latest.
As a result, highly purified waste water from a sewage treatment plant may soon be used, but no longer surface water contaminated with waste materials from a ditch or canal near an industrial site. VVD MEP Jan Huitema speaks of a win-win situation.
By using purified sewage water, the pressure on water bodies and groundwater can be reduced. The drop in groundwater level is one of the biggest threats to the availability of drinking water for the population. According to the European Parliament, groundwater levels are decreasing not only through agricultural irrigation, but also through industrial use and urban development. This is currently particularly evident in Central Europe, which is plagued by dehydrated fields, withered fields and failed harvests.
An inflation ban has now come into force in Flanders. The increasing drought is a challenge faced by farmers across Europe, according to Dutch MEP Jan Huitema (VVD). “We should not only use ground and surface water for irrigation, but also look at new sources. For example, the wastewater will soon be treated in such a way that it can be reused for sprinkling agricultural crops: a win-win situation for people, farmers and the environment, ”he previously told EU journalists.
All EU countries will soon have to apply the same criteria in order to guarantee food safety and public health everywhere. These criteria are particularly important for the Netherlands. VVD MEP Jan Huitema: “In the Netherlands, we already set very high standards for the water used for irrigation. These quality requirements must be the same everywhere in Europe. This is important for food safety and public health, as well as for our competitive position in Europe: after all, fruit and vegetables from other EU countries are also in our supermarkets. ”
Although the EU rules primarily relate to agriculture, water reuse can also be a solution for industry. In the past, the European Commission has already indicated that it wants to involve water reuse in the assessment of permit applications by companies. In the Netherlands, a number of water boards have already taken the initiative to develop the concept of 'the water factory'.