Akissa Bahri – författare

In most developing countries wastewater treatment systems are hardly functioning or have a very low coverage, resulting in large scale water pollution and the use of very poor quality water for crop irrigation especially in the vicinity of urban centres. This can create significant risks to public health, particularly where crops are eaten raw.

Wastewater Irrigation and Health approaches this serious problem from a practical and realistic perspective, addressing the issues of health risk assessment and reduction in developing country settings. The book therefore complements other books on the topic of wastewater which focus on high-end treatment options and the use of treated wastewater. This book moves the debate forward by covering also the common reality of untreated wastewater, greywater and excreta use. It presents the state-of-the-art on quantitative risk assessment and low-cost options for health risk reduction, from treatment to on-farm and off-farm measures, in support of the multiple barrier approach of the 2006 guidelines for safe wastewater irrigation published by the World Health Organization. The 38 authors and co-authors are international key experts in the field of wastewater irrigation representing a mix of agronomists, engineers, social scientists and public health experts from Africa, Asia, Europe, North America and Australia. The chapters highlight experiences across the developing world with reference to various case studies from sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, Mexico and the Middle East. The book also addresses options for resource recovery and wastewater governance, thus clearly establishes a connection between agriculture, health and sanitation, which is often the missing link in the current discussion on ''making wastewater an asset''.

In most developing countries wastewater treatment systems are hardly functioning or have a very low coverage, resulting in large scale water pollution and the use of very poor quality water for crop irrigation especially in the vicinity of urban centres. This can create significant risks to public health, particularly where crops are eaten raw.

Wastewater Irrigation and Health approaches this serious problem from a practical and realistic perspective, addressing the issues of health risk assessment and reduction in developing country settings. The book therefore complements other books on the topic of wastewater which focus on high-end treatment options and the use of treated wastewater. This book moves the debate forward by covering also the common reality of untreated wastewater, greywater and excreta use. It presents the state-of-the-art on quantitative risk assessment and low-cost options for health risk reduction, from treatment to on-farm and off-farm measures, in support of the multiple barrier approach of the 2006 guidelines for safe wastewater irrigation published by the World Health Organization. The 38 authors and co-authors are international key experts in the field of wastewater irrigation representing a mix of agronomists, engineers, social scientists and public health experts from Africa, Asia, Europe, North America and Australia. The chapters highlight experiences across the developing world with reference to various case studies from sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, Mexico and the Middle East. The book also addresses options for resource recovery and wastewater governance, thus clearly establishes a connection between agriculture, health and sanitation, which is often the missing link in the current discussion on ''making wastewater an asset''.

Can women bring a fresh perspective to the provision of global sanitation services? The co-authors of this book, through their strong socio-political and scientific experiences, believe this to be the case. The book offers a critical look at the challenges and solutions needed to achieve Sanitation for All, including for vulnerable people, refugees, asylum seekers, stateless, or internally displaced persons, and especially women. We present sanitation policy and decision making from the perspective of women, providing conclusions to the prevailing debates. In 2022, 43% of the world’s population lacked access to safely managed sanitation. Poor sanitation is linked to the transmission of diarrhoeal diseases, exacerbates stunting, and contributes to the spread of antimicrobial resistance. In low-income countries, 5% of deaths are associated with unsafe sanitation. Poor sanitation affects mental well-being and safety, especially for women and children. Lack of sanitation costs around 2% of GDP (a figure that increases rapidly with epidemic outbreaks) because of income losses from trade and tourism and the impact on water quality. Besides being part of our human right to water, sanitation is essential to reach the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals on poverty, health, education, gender, water, equity, cities and the sustainable environment. Nevertheless, convincing politicians to invest in sanitation is a daunting challenge since, in contrast to drinking water, it is not an immediate vote-winner and is perceived as an unpleasant topic for public discussion. Despite this, to achieve the SDG target by 2030, a five-fold increase on current rates of progress will be required. The role of women in sanitation planning and implementation is key, due to their leadership in communities and their ability to organise and guarantee the sustainability of systems. Furthermore, women’s care-giving nature at home and in their communities has led them to understand the importance of sanitation and being open to discussing it publicly; women stand ready to raise the profile of this subject, putting it on a higher level on the political agenda. This book is vital reading not just for women but all stakeholders and partners in the water industry, especially those working in the sanitation and hygiene sectors.

¿Es posible que las mujeres aporten una nueva mirada a la prestación de los servicios de saneamiento a nivel global? Las co-autoras de este libro, haciendo uso de su sólida experiencia socio-política y científica creen que sí es posible. Este libro presenta con una óptica crítica los retos y las soluciones requeridas para lograr un Saneamiento para todos, incluyendo a los grupos vulnerables, los refugiados, los que solicitan asilo, los apátridas, desplazados al interior de los países y, en especial, a las mujeres. Se presenta la política del saneamiento y los procesos para la toma de decisiones desde una perspectiva de las mujeres, aportando conclusiones a temas actuales que son de controversia.En 2022, el 43% de la población mundial carecía de acceso al saneamiento manejado de forma segura. Un saneamiento deficiente está relacionado con la transmisión de enfermedades diarreicas, el retraso del crecimiento y desarrollo personal, y contribuye a dispersar la resistencia antimicrobiana. En países de bajos ingresos, el 5% de las muertes están asociadas con un saneamiento inseguro. El saneamiento deficiente afecta el bienestar mental y la seguridad, en particular de mujeres y niños. La falta de saneamiento representa un costo de cerca del 2% del PIB (una cifra que incrementa muy rápido si se ocurren epidemias) ocasionado por pérdidas en el comercio, turismo y el impacto negativo en la calidad del agua. Además de ser parte de nuestro derecho humano al agua, el saneamiento es esencial para alcanzar los objetivos de Desarrollo Sustentable de las Naciones Unidas referentes a la pobreza, la salud, la educación, la equidad de género, las ciudades y el ambiente sustentable. A pesar de lo anterior, convencer a políticos de invertir en saneamiento es un gran reto pues, contrario al agua potable, éste no se refleja en votos favorables inmediatos y se considera como un tema del cual es desagradable hablar en público. Ello, aunque para alcanzar la meta correspondiente del SDG para 2030 es necesario multiplicar por cinco la tasa actual con la cual el saneamiento avanza.El papel de las mujeres en la planeación y la implementación del saneamiento es clave, debido al liderazgo que tienen en comunidades y por su capacidad para organizar y garantizar la sustentabilidad de los sistemas. Más aún, la naturaleza propia de las mujeres para cuidar de niños, adultos y de la gente en general, en casas y comunidades, ha hecho que sean ellas quienes entiendan mejor la importancia del saneamiento y el que sean más abiertas para discutir del tema en público; las mujeres están listas para elevar el perfil de este tema y ponerlo en un nivel más alto en las agendas políticas.Este libro es una lectura esencial no sólo para mujeres sino para todas las personas interesadas o asociados a la industria del agua, en especial, a aquellos que laboren en los sectores del saneamiento y la higiene.