The Ingenieur Vol 57 January-March 2014 The Ingenieur Vol 57 January-March 2014 | Page 35

repercussions for waterborne and water-related
disease transmission.
By 2025, half of the world population will
be living in water stressed areas. Increasingly,
countries are utilizing wastewater as an important
source of irrigation water and nutrients for crop
production. In developing countries at least 20
million hectares are irrigated using wastewater,
corresponding to 7% of all irrigated land. The
practice poses health risks from exposure to
untreated and partially treated waste for workers,
communities and consumers that need to be
weighed against the potential benefits of increased
food production in terms of improved nutrition and
income. However, due to the relatively informal
nature of wastewater reuse, accurate estimates
of disease burden associated with the practice is
unknown.
As the options for the types of water resources
used for drinking-water and irrigation continue
to evolve with changing circumstances, with an
increasing reliance on ground water and alternative
water sources, including use of wastewater and,
under the influence of climate change, greater

fluctuations in harvested rainwater, it will be crucial
to improve the management of all water resources
ensuring their quality and set better defined quality
criteria for the use of water fit for purpose.
The WHO Policy Framework
The World Health Assembly resolution WHA64.24
of May 2011 makes clear references to the
issues of water quality and health. It reaffirmed
the need to galvanize efforts to strengthen water
supply and sanitation services, noting that rapid
population growth, urbanization and climate
change impact their availability and quality of
access. The Resolution calls on Member States
and WHO to take actions to improve water quality
management at the policy and institutional level,
through partnerships and by supporting capacity
building and implementation. Resolution 64.15
on cholera highlighted the role of water, sanitation
and hygiene in cholera prevention and control while
WHA45.31 on environmental health recognized
that access to good-quality water and sanitation is
essential to primary health care and fundamental
to the prevention of waterborne diseases.

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