Safe use of wastewater, excreta and greywater
A growing world population, unrelenting urbanization, increasing scarcity of good quality water resources and rising fertilizer prices are the driving forces behind the accelerating upward trend in the use of wastewater, excreta and greywater for agriculture and aquaculture.
The health risks associated with this practice have been long recognized, but regulatory measures were, until recently, based on rigid guideline values whose application often was incompatible with the socio-economic settings where most wastewater use takes place.
In 2006, WHO published a third edition of its Guidelines for the Safe Use of Wastewater, Excreta and Greywater in Agriculture and Aquaculture. In four volumes, these Guidelines propose a flexible approach of risk assessment and risk management linked to health-based targets that can be established at a level that is realistic under local conditions. The approach is to be backed-up by strict monitoring measures.
Guidelines for the safe use of wastewater, excreta and greywater
In 2008, WHO, FAO; IWMI and IDRC launched an information kit with targeted fact sheets and policy briefs to further clarify methods and procedures.
Information kit on the guidelines for the safe use of wastewater, excreta and greywater
The WHO/IDRC/FAO research project on non-treatment options for safe wastewater use in poor urban communities is on-going and scheduled to be concluded in March 2009. The reports of the first two consultative workshops under this project can be accessed here:
Report of the first consultative workshop on the WHO/IDRC/FAO project “non-treatment options for safe wastewater use in poor urban communities [pdf 441kb]
Report of the second consultative workshop on the WHO/IDRC/FAO project “non-treatment options for safe wastewater use in poor urban communities [pdf 496kb]
Other documents available online:
Health risks in aquifer recharge using reclaimed water
Analysis of wastewater for use in agriculture
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