FACTS
- The most frequent non-fatal water and wastewater injuries reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics were due to over exertion during lifting, being struck by a tool or object, and falls, slips, and trips.
- As the overall demand for water grows, the quantity of wastewater produced, and its overall pollution load are continuously increasing worldwide.
- The vast majority of wastewater is released directly to the environment without adequate treatment, with detrimental impacts on human health, economic productivity, the quality of ambient freshwater resources, and ecosystems.
- Wastewater is gaining momentum as a reliable alternative source of water, shifting the paradigm of wastewater management from ‘treatment and disposal’ to ‘reuse, recycle and resource recovery’.
- Wastewater can also be a cost-efficient and sustainable source of energy, nutrients, organic matter and other useful by-products.
STATS
- A total of 150 deaths occurred among the wastewater workers.
- It is estimated that only 26% of urban and 34% of rural sanitation and wastewater services effectively prevent human contact with excreta along the entire sanitation chain and can therefore be considered safely managed.
- An estimated 842,000 deaths were caused by contaminated drinking water, inadequate handwashing facilities and sanitation services (WHO).
- The health burden of poor sanitation and wastewater management is primarily borne by children. During the same year, 361,000 deaths among children under 5 years old could have been prevented through reduction of risks related to inadequate hand hygiene, sanitation, and water.
- It has been estimated that for some major rivers in the USA, the water has been used and reused over 20 times before it reaches the sea.