Wastewater – Turning Problem to Solution. A UNEP Rapid Response Assessment

In 2010, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) and GRID-Arendal published a report entitled Sick water? The central role of wastewater management in sustainable development – A rapid response assessment. The report called for a greater focus on the intelligent management of wastewater, which recognizes its potential in contributing to sustainable development.

This approach involves recovering and safely reusing the valuable ingredients that make up wastewater, such as nutrients, energy and water. Recovering these resources can deliver multiple co-benefits, such as reduced dependence on synthetic fertilizers, which constitute up to 25 per cent of the global nitrogen and phosphorus demand in agriculture; diversified energy production, which can provide electricity for around half a billion people per year; and increased water security, carrying the potential to irrigate around 40 million hectares.

More than a decade later, UNEP has recognized that we are facing a triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss and rampant pollution. This crisis is undermining nature’s ability to provide the ecosystems services that in turn support human and non-human well-being. Population growth and urbanization are also placing a huge strain on finite water sources, with a third of the global population already living in water scarce regions with demand set to intensify.

Therefore, it is an absolute priority to accelerate action to beat wastewater pollution while harnessing its underutilized potential. This report presents 20 case studies with the real world examples of solutions that are already bringing about the changes we need. But these changes are not happening at the speed or scale needed, creating serious risks for ecosystems and human health, as well as the resilience of societies.

The “Wastewater – Turning Problem to Solution” report challenges the view that wastewater is an end-of-pipe problem to be disposed of and, instead, repositions it as a circular economy opportunity: a renewable and valuable resource to be conserved and sustainably managed with the potential to drive new jobs and revenue streams.

The authors have defined three key areas for action and six necessary building blocks to help policy and decision makers lead transformational change in sustainable wastewater management. The three actions call for reducing how much wastewater we produce, being more careful about what goes into the water we use, and considering how to better collect and treat wastewater so that we can recover and safely use its valuable resources.

The building blocks focus on the social, cultural and behavioural changes that will need to happen in order for actions to succeed: ensuring an enabling, coherent governance and legislative framework; mobilizing investment in infrastructure and the human and institutional capacity that is needed; encouraging technical and social innovation; improving data feedback for iterative adaptation; and strengthening communication and awareness to build understanding and trust to help change our behaviours and attitudes to water usage.