Is wastewater treatment the best option?
Affluent countries regard wastewater treatment as vital to protect human health and prevent the contamination of lakes and rivers. But for most developing countries this solution is prohibitively expensive. In this case, applying wastewater to agricultural lands is a more economical alternative and more ecologically sound than uncontrolled dumping of municipal and industrial effluents into lakes and streams. How do we make this widespread practice safer for people and environment? Obviously the short-term benefits of wastewater irrigation could be offset by the health and environmental impacts. The first step is to scientifically evaluate these. Once the actual risks are clear, we can work to reduce them. This means, for example, finding affordable ways of monitoring the presence of harmful contaminants in wastewater, such as heavy metals that can accrue in soil and crops. It means looking at farming practices and crops grown to find ways of minimizing risks of infection for farmers an
