Impact of Waste Water Treatment on Area under Cultivation in Tiruppur District, Tamil Nadu – Projection Based on Willingness to Pay Approach

R. Nirmala^* and S. Gandhimathi 

Department of Economics, Avinashilingam Institute for Home Science and Higher Education for Women, Coimbatore, India.

Corresponding Author E-mail: nimikarthi08@gmail.com

Abstract:

There is a scarcity of research on the effects of waste water treatment on the amount of land used for farming. Additionally, the researchers made the assumption that all farmers would either be willing or unwilling to participate. An equation was estimated to determine the separate area under cultivation for farmers who are willing and unwilling to engage, assuming no endogeneity. Thus, this study aimed to assess the influence of waste water treatment on the area of land used for cultivation, while considering the selectivity bias in the analysis. The Heckman sample selection model was utilised to examine the influence of willingness to pay on the extent of land under cultivation. By treating the waste water, it is possible to expand the cultivated area. While the cropping pattern may remain unchanged, around 50 hectares of land area dedicated to the same crops could be increased if the waste water is treated and the farmers are ready to bear the cost of waste water treatment. The correlation between the disposal of industrial waste and the land area was shown to be statistically significant in determining the willingness to pay. Furthermore, the impact of the desire to pay was also found to be statistically significant in determining the extent of land used for cultivation.

Keywords:

Cropping pattern; Heckman sample selection; Noyyal River; Pollution; Textile industry; Tiruppur District Water pollution; Willingness to pay

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