FACTS

1. 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.
2. As the overall demand for water grows, the quantity of wastewater produced, and its overall pollution load are continuously increasing worldwide.
3. 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.
4.  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’.
5. 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.