Wastewater - Turning Problem to Solution

Limited human and institutional capacity

In many cases, lack of capacity is hindering wastewater management, resource recovery and reuse, including in the lack of technical expertise to operate and maintain wastewater treatment plants with resource recovery, or in implementing reuse practices (Morris et al. 2021). As indicated earlier in the report, there is an increasing volume of wastewater being produced, and an ever growing gap to fill in order to be able to reach the targets set out in SDG 6, and hence an ever-widening human capacity gap. The WWAP (2016) recognized that the expertise required for the future of wastewater management for a circular economy will need to evolve, with skills to work across interconnected issues at multiple scales. The formal wastewater treatment sector is currently male-dominated, particularly in technical and professional roles, with IWA (2014) reporting that, based on studies in 15 developing countries, women accounted for an average of just 17 per cent of all staff, with women often being excluded from entry to technical and other professional positions (International Labour Organization 2017). To build capacity and establish diverse leadership

will require the increased participation of not only women, but also youth. An effective wastewater treatment system relies on efficient collection, and in many places, this is still an important gap in the wastewater management chain. If wastewater is not collected, it cannot be treated or reused. It may take decades to achieve full-scale wastewater collection and treatment systems that are needed for the safe reuse of recovered resources. Public authorities in low-income and lower-middle-income countries often do not have sufficient expertise and knowledge of the technical and management options available to reduce the environmental and health risks of wastewater reuse and disposal. These authorities also have limited capacity to enforce regulations leading to safe management and productive use of treated wastewater. Besides, fear of economic consequences in agricultural trade, which could result from any potential health risk, may make governments hesitant to address the use of untreated wastewater for irrigation.

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