DRINKING WATER CONTAMINATION BY
AGRICULTURAL RUN OFF
B5 SEMINAR PAPER WS21/22 BY ERNEST AWUAH
SUPERVISOR : DR SOREN WEISS
PRESENTATION OVERVIEW
 Introduction
 Causes agricultural runoff on drinking water
 Effects of agricultural runoff on drinking water
 Mitigating surface water contamination by agricultural runoff
 Subsidies as an economic instrument
 Efficiency evaluation
 Conclusion
INTRODUCTION
 Availability of water is equally
important as its quality.
 Lack of quality water in the
rural part of the country
Credits: Photo courtesy of Saha Global.
 Closeness of drinking
surface water bodies to
farmlands.
CAUSES OF SURFACE WATER CONTAMINTION
Agricultural Runoff :
It is simply the washing away of pollutant from the surface of soils in
farmland into nearby water bodies.
Examples of these pollutants include:
 fertilizers
 pesticides
 other forms of agrochemicals such as herbicides, insecticides,
weedicides.
Other causes may include sewage from households and waste from
industries.
EFFECTS OF AGRICULTURAL RUNOFF
ON SURFACE WATER
•Pollution of surface water
•Eutrophication of surface
water
•Death of aquatic organisms
• Human health implications
Figure 3.
Source: Modern Ghana media communication
ltd. Accra Ahana.
MITIGATING SURFACE WATER CONTAMINATION
BY AGRICULTURAL RUNOFF.
These pollutants can be prevented from reaching the surface
water by:
 Avoiding or reducing the use of agrochemicals such as
pesticides on farmland especially to those bordered by water
bodies.
Adopting Integrated Pest Management practices such as;
1. The use of resistant crops
2. Crop tillage
3. Biological control methods.
SUBSIDIES AS AN ECONOMIC INSTRUMENT
Subsidies are "payments or other financial benefits provided by
governments, or by a public body, to a specific industry, sector, or
producer" (OECD, 2019).
Subsidies can come in different forms such as: Agricultural
subsidies, Energy subsidies, Housing subsidies etc.
Subsidies on Agriculture can also be given by government in the
form of money or the provision of tools or items needed in carrying
out the program
Subsidies as a tool for internalizing market failure or externalities.
Crop tillage as an alternative practice to the use of pesticides.
SUBSIDIES AS AN ECONOMIC INSTRUMENT
SUBSIDIE PROGRAM STRUCTURE
APPLICATION
FOR SUBSIDY
ADVANTAGES OF CROP
TILLAGE
Reduces weed growth
IMPROVED
WATER
QUALITY
SURFACE
RUNOFF
REDUCTION
APPROVAL BY
GOVERNMENT
Enhance soil structure
Reduces the rate of surface
runoff
PRACTICING
CROP TILLAGE
Helps produce healthier
crops
EFFICIENCY EVALUATION
 Static Efficiency is not achieved.
Ecological efficiency is achieved.
 Dynamic efficiency is achieved.
The program is not administratively efficient.
CONCLUSION
 Surface water contamination is an alarming issues and agricultural runoff
is a contribution cause.
Adoption of other farm practices such as crop tillage can help reduce
agricultural runoff.
Subsidies is an economic tool that can help mitigate this environmental
problem by ensuring that these practices are implemented.
The subsidy program does not guarantee total efficiencies therefore the
need to for government to intensify the monitoring aspect of the program.