Only 20 percent of global wastewater is currently being treated, leaving low-income countries hardest hit by contaminated water supplies and disease, according to a UN report which encourages governments to see treated wastewater as a valuable resource, and a priority for the post-2015 development agenda.

With urban populations estimated to double in the next four decades, and low-income countries possessing only 8 percent of the required capacity to treat wastewater effectively, Wastewater Management, A UN-Water Analytical Brief, produced by the World Health Organization, the United Nations Environment Programme  and UN-Habitat, on behalf of UN-Water, describes the damage being done to ecosystems and biodiversity as 'dire' and warns of the threat wastewater will increasingly pose to human health, economic activity and water security if left unaddressed.

The report argues that wastewater management has been neglected in the rush to commercialize drinking water production, a situation exacerbated by a fragmented water management system in many countries, and the use of different technologies that are often designed separately and retrofitted to existing systems.

The Chair of UN-Water, Michel Jarraud said, "Wastewater has featured heavily in the discussions on the Post-2015 Development Agenda. Countries have recognized that economic and sustainable development must incorporate water resources, wastewater and water quality. This publication contributes to the ongoing discussions and will hopefully serve to inform policymakers."

UN Under-Secretary-General and UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner said, "Wastewater management has been neglected in the rush to commercialize drinking water production, a situation exacerbated by a fragmented water management system in many countries, and the use of different technologies that are often designed separately and retrofitted to existing systems."

"Around 70 percent of industrial discharge in developing countries goes untreated. And eutrophication — from wastewater and agricultural run-off — has, according to recent estimates, reduced biodiversity in rivers, lakes and wetlands by about one-third globally."

"It is time to turn this environmental and human health challenge into an opportunity. Agriculture consumes 70 percent of global water withdrawal, but agricultural irrigation from reclaimed wastewater is on the rise, and is being used to irrigate 20 to 45 million hectares worldwide. This is just a fraction of what is possible if policy and available technologies converge to ensure that wastewater and water quality are fully integrated into a more holistic water agenda as part of the post-2015 process," he added.

Africa is heavily impacted by the problem of untreated wastewater. Of the thousands of people that die each day of preventable water and sanitation diseases, a significant number are from Africa. According to the 2014 Africa Water and Sanitation Report, more than 547 million Africans lack access to basic sanitation, a situation that, due to illness, premature deaths and school absenteeism is costing the continent billions annually in lost gross domestic product, including $347 million in Kenya alone — or 0.9 percent of GDP, according to the Economics of Sanitation Initiative.

The UN report provides many examples of low-tech, low-cost, onsite solutions that are now available in low-income countries where infrastructure to support centralized water treatment systems is lacking.

For example, in 2010, in Africa's largest slum settlement in Kibera, Nairobi, a personal, single-use, self-sanitizing biodegradable toilet was introduced. The product is now being used daily by 2,000 people living in Kibera, as well as 18,000 students who have access to it through a special school programme. 

Innovations like this one — previously only used in humanitarian crises — exemplify the scale of the worsening crisis in informal settlements where wastewater infrastructure is often non-existent.

The Rapid Assessment Report on Wastewater Management (Sick Water), co-authored by UN-Habitat and UNEP, notes that 21 of the world's 33 megacities are on the coast, placing fragile ecosystems at risk. And without urgent action to better manage wastewater, the situation is likely to get worse. UN-Habitat contends that effective urban planning, legislation and financing lie at the core of addressing the wastewater challenge.

As countries prepare to finalize the next development agenda, which includes a proposed goal to ensure sustainable water and sanitation for all, it is hoped that the report will serve as strong evidence that treated wastewater can have an important role to play in social, environmental and economic development.

Please download the report here.