Pollution of water by infected faeces
Name(s):
Microbial pollution of water supplies with human excreta
Faecal transmission of disease
Nature
***.
Background
Over 2 million tonnes of human excrement is produced daily in cities around the world; less than 2% is treated and the rest discharged into watercourses or into the soil.
Incidence
Problems of microbial quality and occasional outbreaks of waterborne diseases have been reported across the European region, even from countries with high standards of supply. Systems for detecting waterborne disease are generally poor, and in practice only the larger outbreaks have been detected. Microbial pollution is especially prevalent in small supply systems and those with intermittent service. Private supplies may not have been subject to such stringent standards as public supplies.
Aggravates
Aggravated by
Strategy(ies)
Value(s)
Type
(E) Emanations of other problems