Sewage

15 May 2024
شركة لارا السعودية

Key facts

  • In 2022, 57% of the world's population (4.6 billion people) used safely managed sanitation services.
  • More than 1.5 billion people still do not have access to basic sanitation services, such as private toilets or toilets.
  • Of these, 419 million people still defecate in the open, for example, in street drains, behind bushes or in open bodies of water.
  • In 2020, 44% of wastewater generated from households around the world was not treated safely (1) .
  • It is believed that at least 10% of the world's population consumes food irrigated with wastewater.
  • Poor sanitation limits human well-being and social and economic development due to impacts such as anxiety, risk of sexual assault, and lost educational and employment opportunities.
  • Poor sanitation services are linked to the transmission of diarrheal diseases such as cholera, dysentery, typhoid, intestinal worms, and polio. Poor sanitation services exacerbate stunting and contribute to the spread of antimicrobial resistance.

Overview

The latest estimates of the burden of disease associated with water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) indicate that 1.4 million people die every year as a result of inadequate drinking water, sanitation and hygiene. The vast majority of these deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries. Unsafe sanitation causes 564,000 of these deaths, most of which are attributable to diarrheal diseases, and is a major factor in many neglected tropical diseases, including intestinal worms, schistosomiasis and trachoma. Poor sanitation also contributes to malnutrition.

In 2022, 57% of the global population (4.6 billion people) used safely managed sanitation services; 33% (2.7 billion people) used private sanitation facilities connected to a sewer network from which wastewater was treated; 21% (1.7 billion people) used latrines or toilets that allow for on-site disposal; 88% of the world's population (7.2 billion people) used at least one basic sanitation service (2) .

Diarrhea remains a major cause of death, although it can be prevented. Better water, sanitation and hygiene services could prevent deaths among children under five years of age, which amounted to 395,000 deaths in 2019.

Open defecation perpetuates the vicious cycle of disease and poverty. Countries with the greatest prevalence of open defecation have the highest number of deaths of children under five and experience the highest levels of malnutrition, poverty and wealth inequality.


Benefits of improving sanitation

The benefits of improving sanitation extend beyond reducing the risk of diarrhea. They include the following:

  • Reducing the spread of intestinal worms, schistosomiasis and trachoma, which are neglected tropical diseases that cause suffering to millions;
  • Reducing the severity and impact of malnutrition;
  • Promoting human dignity and improving safety, especially for women and girls;
  • Promoting school enrollment, as school enrollment of girls in particular improves when separate sanitation facilities are provided;
  • Reducing the spread of antimicrobial resistance;
  • Potential for safe recovery of water, nutrients and renewable energy from wastewater and sludge;
  • The potential to increase overall community resilience to climate shocks, for example, through the safe use of wastewater for irrigation in order to mitigate water scarcity.

According to a 2012 WHO study , every US$1 spent on sanitation services generates a return of US$5.50 in lower health costs, increased productivity and fewer premature deaths.


Challenges

In 2013, the Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations issued a call for action on sanitation that includes eliminating open defecation by 2025. The world is on track to eliminate open defecation by 2030, if not 2025; However, achieving universal access to basic sanitation services by 2030 will require five-folding the pace of progress.

The situation in urban areas, especially in densely populated, low-income and informal areas, is a growing challenge as sewerage is poor or non-existent, latrine spaces are expensive, and poorly designed and managed pits and septic tanks contaminate open drains, groundwater, and sludge removal services. faecalis is not available or unaffordable. Inequalities are exacerbated when sewage released into rainwater and waterways pollutes poor, low-rise areas of cities. The impacts of climate change – floods, water scarcity, drought and sea level rise – are also holding back progress for billions of people who lack safely managed services, and threaten to undermine existing services if they are not transformed into more resilient services.

Wastewater and sludge are increasingly viewed as a valuable resource in the circular economy that can provide reliable water and nutrients for food production and recovered energy in various forms. In fact, the use of wastewater and sludge is already common, but much of it is used unsafely and without adequate treatment, controls on use or regulatory oversight. Safe use that prevents the transmission of waste-related diseases is vital in order to minimize harm and maximize the beneficial use of wastewater and sludge.

In 2019, the United Nations Water Mechanism issued the Global Framework to Accelerate the Achievement of Goal 6 of the Sustainable Development Goals. On the occasion of World Toilet Day 2020, the World Health Organization and UNICEF issued a report on the state of sanitation in the world, outlining the scale of the challenges in terms of impact on health, coverage of sanitation services, progress achieved, policies and investment, as well as a sanitation plan in accordance with the global framework to accelerate the achievement of the goal. 6 of the Sustainable Development Goals.