Wastewater - Turning Problem to Solution

Inadequate political support or lack of priority setting in the political arena

Wastewater resource recovery and reuse is not sufficiently prioritized in the global water discourse, with low awareness of the issue. Elevation of this issue on the political agenda is required to establish an enabling political environment for addressing the other identified barriers and concerns (Morris et al. 2021), including governance, regulation, finance and capacity. There is evidence of the impact that strong political will can have to solve complex problems. For example, in the 1990s, the Jordanian export market was severely affected when neighbouring countries enforced restrictions on the imports of fruits and vegetables irrigated with inadequately treated wastewater (Qadir et al. 2010). In response, the Jordanian Government implemented an aggressive campaign to install wastewater treatment plants, rehabilitate and improve existing treatment facilities, and introduce enforceable standards to protect the health of farmers and consumers. The intensifying water scarcity in the country has seen the need to prioritize wastewater management and water reuse in agriculture. The country has built infrastructure for wastewater collection and provided support to the

operation and maintenance of wastewater treatment facilities. The efforts are supported by the relevant institutions, such as the Jordan Valley Authority and Water Authority of Jordan, appropriate policy interventions, and through the introduction and implementation of regulations and standards (Qadir et al. 2010). In the Mediterranean, the Contracting Parties to the Barcelona Convention have successfully adopted a regional action plan on wastewater treatment under the Land-based Sources of Pollution Protocol (UNEP 2021a), which legally commits the Contracting Parties to a series of measures, including to promote the recovery and reuse of wastewater. In a recent example, the French Government in March 2023 announced its “water sobriety” plan, which will prioritize water as an issue of national importance and include a political shift to increase wastewater reuse. Currently, only 77 of the 33 000 wastewater treatment plants in France can recover any resources and only 0.1 per cent of treated wastewater produced is reused (Basso 2023).

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