Investing In the Reuse of Treated Wastewater
Of the projected 1 billion growth in global population by 2015, 88 percent will take place in cities, nearly all of it in developing countries. Investments in urban water supply and sewerage coverage are rising. However, adequate treatment for agri...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Language: | English |
| Published: |
World Bank, Washington, DC
2012
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2006/06/7154284/investing-reuse-treated-wastewater http://hdl.handle.net/10986/9609 |
| Summary: | Of the projected 1 billion growth in
global population by 2015, 88 percent will take place in
cities, nearly all of it in developing countries.
Investments in urban water supply and sewerage coverage are
rising. However, adequate treatment for agricultural reuse
with acceptable risk mitigation for human health and the
environment will require further investment. While this
Investment Note addresses reuse after treatment, it is
critical to ensure that investments in treatment appropriate
for reuse schemes will be made. Urban wastewater is well
suited to agricultural reuse and landscaping because of the
reliability of supply, proximity to urban markets, and its
nutrient content. To have an impact on scarcity, reuse of
wastewater must substitute for, not add to, existing uses of
higher-quality water. Moreover, reuse of treated wastewater
often disproportionately benefits the poor. It must be
combined with strategies to prevent or mitigate health risks
from pathogens, heavy metals, pesticides, and endocrine
disrupters, and environmental damage from heavy metals and
salinity. Long-term institutional coordination among urban,
agricultural, and environmental authorities and end users is
a requirement for water reuse investments to pay off. This
note outlines technological and management interventions
suitable for World Bank lending. |
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