Page 264 - Materials Chemistry, Second Edition

Support Sustainable Wastewater Treatment in Developing Countries 245

and wastewater monitoring information has not yet been implemented at regional or
global level.
So, the adoption of decision-making tools is required for the implementation of a
sustainable way of thinking in wastewater planning, as they can support the inves-
tigation and analysis of several scenarios by means of a quantitative and scientific
methodology. In addition, the consideration of regional and local specificities is very
important for the selection of the most sustainable solution.

12.3 WASTEWATER TREATMENT IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES

The implementation of sustainable wastewater management systems is a major chal-
lenge in developing countries, as sanitation data from these countries indicates criti-
cal conditions of population in terms of incomes, health, hygiene, and social issues.
For Pradel et al. (2016), the release of raw wastewater into the environment causes
sanitary problems due to the increase of fecal pathogens in water resources. Indeed,
Prüss-Ustün et al. (2014) estimate that annually more than 800,000 people die due
to diarrheal diseases, many of them as a result of inadequate sanitation infrastruc-
ture. Moreover, according to Andersson et al. (2016), one of the main causes of
death in children under the age of five in developing countries is diarrhea, caused
mainly by poor sanitation and hygiene conditions. Waddington et al. (2009) carried
out research to estimate the influence of sanitation and hygiene improvements on
diarrheal diseases, and concluded that such interventions result in reductions greater
than 30%.
For Massoud et al. (2009), the adoption of developed countries’ strategies for
wastewater management is neither appropriate nor viable for developing coun-
tries, as there are huge differences between them in terms of political structures,
national priorities, socioeconomic conditions, cultural traits, and financial resources.
According to Flores et al. (2008), aside from the cost, conventional wastewater treat-
ment technologies are normally not appropriate in developing countries, because
they are focused on the removal of organic compounds to protect water resources,
whereas the main concern in developing countries is the protection of human health
by pathogen removal. So, in aiming for sustainability of sanitation systems, the spec-
ificities of developing countries must to be considered in the definition of wastewater
management strategies.
It is important to note that in developing countries, most wastewater generated is
normally released into water bodies after a low-efficiency treatment or none at all. In
addition, the coverage of the wastewater collection system is very limited. Often, the
reason for the lack of wastewater treatment is financial (Mara, 2003). However, there
are already several low-cost wastewater treatment processes available that could sup-
port treatment rate improvements in developing countries.
Another important aspect is simplicity of operation and maintenance. Treatment
technologies that demand complex operation systems and advanced maintenance
procedures are not a sustainable alternative due to the difficulty of finding a quali-
fied workforce in developing countries that can operate the sanitary infrastruc-
ture demanded. So, low-cost alternatives and simple operation systems, as well as