Abstract

With the increase in human population indeveloping countries including Pakistan and shortage of canalirrigation water, people used to think about other alternateirrigation sources particularly in peri-urban areas, where mostof the farming activities are depend upon waste water. Pakistanis also included in the list of those where untreated waste waterapplication on vegetables is very common. Based on thetheoretical debate on its advantages and disadvantages, thepresent study was designed to know about the incentives anddisincentives of untreated wastewater application in vegetables.The study was conducted in the Punjab province. Quantitativedata were collected through reliable and validated researchinstrument (interview schedule) and analyzed through SPSS. Itwas concluded from the results that majority of the respondents(55.8%) had education only upto eight (08) years of schooling.About 69.2% of the respondents were small land holders andconsidered as tenant. Majority of the majority of the vegetablegrowers in the research area used to grow vegetables from morethan 10 years. Shortage of can irrigation water, power/energycrises in Pakistan, and high cost of fresh water through tube wellwere the main reasons behind application of untreated wastewater for vegetable farming. Out of different incentives of wastewater application in vegetables, high yield was on the top withmaximum mean (x̄=4.13). Health problems were the maindisincentives of wastewater application in vegetable due to itshigh mean (x̄=4.42) out of others. Overall mean of all thedisincentives (x̄=4.61) is high compared to overall mean of all theincentives (x̄=4.13). It was recommended that water treatmentfacilities should be provided by the government on subsidizedrates as small scale vegetable growers didn’t have enoughfinancial and physical capitals.