Poor Wastewater Research Articles

Impact of River Water Pollution on Rice and Wheat Productivity: A Case Study in Maharajganj District, India

Background: Increased water pollution is a worldwide problem that threatens the well-being of billions of people and their economies, ecosystems and quality of life in both developed and developing nations. Poor wastewater management has exacerbated major water-quality concerns in many regions of the globe, increasing the water crisis. With these, the present study made an attempt to capture the impact of river water pollution on rice and wheat productivity in surveyed villages in Maharajganj district, Uttar Pradesh, India. Methods: A field survey of 200 farmers was conducted from (1-30/September/2021) using multistage sampling. Further, the productivity change method was used to calculate the impact of river water pollution on crop productivity. Result: The results from this study show that per acre rice and wheat crop productivity was 8.84 and 7.78 quintals in Rajabari village (a river pollution-affected village) respectively, while the corresponding figures in Taraini village (a non-river pollution-affected village) were 19.86 and 18.14 quintals/acre. Further, net returns for rice and wheat crops in Rajabari village were Rs. 4863 and Rs. 5730, while corresponding figures in Taraini village were Rs. 19319 and Rs. 22070 per acre, respectively. Hence, the present study recommends that the government should take appropriate water contamination measures to limit water pollution through appropriate treatment methods. To prevent contamination of water containing with heavy metals, petroleum hydrocarbons, detergents and any pollutant that causes danger to the environment and in order to achieve normalcy within the limits of standards, attention should be focused on the prevention of water pollution with pollutants and the preservation of the quality and ecosystems of these waters through adequate and uninterrupted monitoring in time and space.

Chemistry of zeolites and zeolite based composite membranes as a cutting-edge candidate for removal of organic dyes & heavy metal ions: Progress and future directions

The quality of water has become a serious concern due to excessive industrial effluent production and poor wastewater treatment. Membrane technology has received immense attention due to its mild operating conditions, and highly efficient process. Polymer-based membranes are generally applied in various separation operations for their highly reproducible fabrication and low-cost approaches. Fouling aspects and the trade-off between selectivity and permeability are the main disadvantages of polymeric membranes. In this regard, zeolites are an attractive and promising candidate with 3D crystalline microporous systems, large and medium-pore molecular sieves, low-cost, and due to their distinct framework, are considered potential ceramic membranes for water treatment. Incorporating inorganic zeolite particles into the polymer matrix improves permeability while maintaining selectivity, and promotes mechanical strength in challenging environments and fouling conditions. Zeolite-based composite membranes can remove heavy metals and dye effluents from the aqueous medium thanks to their high adsorption capability and well-defined pore size. In this review, we focused on the significance of membranes in water treatment, structural/chemical features of zeolite-based membranes, and their design. The various strategies involved in integrating zeolites to obtain composite based membranes, an overview of toxicity issues of dyes, and heavy metals followed by an exploration of zeolite based composite membranes for the treatment of various dyes and heavy metal pollutants. Also, we tried to provide a cost analysis of zeolite-based membranes followed by commercial and industrial outlooks. Lastly, conclusion and future perspectives are drawn for the zeolite-based composite membranes.

Wastewater Management Strategy for Resilient Cities—Case Study: Challenges and Opportunities for Planning a Sustainable Timor-Leste

High population growth, a lack of wastewater treatment plants and poor wastewater management are major challenges in wastewater management in Timor-Leste (East Timor). One of the approaches of the government of Timor-Leste is to separate wastewater into greywater and blackwater from domestic, commercial, residential, and industrial areas. Three methods were applied to obtain insight into the locations and discharge of grey- and blackwater to develop a cost-effective wastewater strategy: a field survey and data collection, interviews with over 130 participants from local authorities and communities, and the open-source mapping of locations of wastewater discharge. This research concluded that 47.7% of the grey wastewater is discharged into open sewers connected directly to the sea. Most communities discharge their wastewater directly due to the absence of wastewater management, policies and regulations, and lack of communities’ understanding of the possible health impacts of wastewater. The impact of poor wastewater management showed that most of the children in these communities have suffered from diarrhea (73.8%), and in the rainy season, there is a high possibility of infection with waterborne diseases. The literature review, field mapping, and interviews show that there is high demand for a cost-effective wastewater strategy for health improvement. Low-cost nature-based solutions such as constructed wetlands and bioswales can be implemented with local skills and materials to improve the wastewater situation and address other challenges such as biodiversity loss, heat stress, drought, and floodings. These installations are easier to rebuild than large-scale grey infrastructure given the multiple hazards that occur in Timor-Leste: landslides, earthquakes, strong wind, and pluvial and fluvial floodings, and they can serve as coastal protection.

Review of Innovative Approaches of Wastewater Treatment and Management: A Case Study of Benin, Kenya and Zambia in Pursuit of Sustainable Solutions in the Context of the Green Deal

One in three people in the African region suffers from water scarcity, this situation is getting worse as a result of population growth. Poor wastewater treatment exacerbates the problem, as only 10% of wastewater in Africa is estimated to be treated before being released into the environment. The major wastewater sources in Africa are agricultural, mining, domestic, and industrial effluents, which include BOD, COD, TSS, NH 4-N, and T-P, heavy metals (like Pb2+, Zn2+, Cu2+), organic compounds, and fecal coliforms.

Wastewater Management in Africa: Challenges and Recommendations.

In Africa, the growing population and industrial growth have resulted in a notable increase in wastewater generation, affecting the quality of water in the region. Wastewater treatment plays a crucial role in safeguarding the environment, public health, aquatic organisms, and water resources, reducing environmental impact, and adhering to regulations. However, the current methods for treating wastewater in Africa fall short of these goals, resulting in substantially poor environmental and health outcomes and inadequate provision of safe water and essential sanitation. Poor wastewater management in several African countries has led to severe health risks for humans, animals, and aquatic ecosystems. This poses a particular threat to vulnerable groups like children, women, and the disabled residing in rural and remote areas with limited access to healthcare. Hence, this article aims to shine a spotlight on the difficulties in managing wastewater in Africa and to recommend several plausible strategies to tackle this issue. A literature search to find the most recent and relevant research papers from various databases, such as Scopus, Web of Science, PubMed, and Google Scholar, along with resources from the World Health Organization, was conducted. The selection criteria focused on including the most recent and relevant publications published in English to facilitate comprehension, analysis, and interpretation of the secondary data. Essentially, addressing the challenge of wastewater management in Africa requires developing indigenous innovative technologies, transitioning to a sustainable economy, establishing wastewater treatment infrastructures in rural and remote areas, enhancing operation and maintenance practices, training treatment facility workers, improving electricity supply, strengthening government participation and support, encouraging public involvement, setting local water quality benchmarks, and international financial and technical support. By tackling the problem of insufficient wastewater treatment in Africa, it is possible to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 6, which centers on ensuring clean water and sanitation for all.

First insights into per-and polyfluoroalkyl substance contamination in edible fish species of the Indus water system of Pakistan

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) are a group of emerging contaminants, that have a wide range of applications in industrial and commercial products. The direct discharge of untreated industrial and domestic wastewater into freshwater bodies is a common practice in developing countries, which are the main contributors to PFASs in the aquatic environment. The situation is further worsened due to poor wastewater treatment facilities and weak enforcement of environmental regulations in countries like Pakistan. The current study was designed to assess PFASs contamination in muscle tissues of edible fish species from major tributaries of the Indus System, including Head Panjnad (HP), Head Trimmu (HT), Chashma Barrage (CB), Head Blloki (HB) and Head Qadirabad (HQ). The analysis of target PFAS was performed using ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography coupled with a quadrupole Orbitrap high-resolution mass spectrometry. The highest levels of ∑17PFASs were observed in S. seenghala, C. mirigala from HB, and C. mirigala from HQ with a mean value of 45.4 ng g-1, 43.7 ng g-1, and 40.8 ng g-1, respectively. Overall, the compositional profile of fish samples was predominated by long-chain PFASs such as PFOA, PFOS, PFHpS, and PFDS. The accumulation of PFASs in fish species is dependent on the physiochemical properties of PFASs, characteristics of the aquatic environment, and fish species. Significant associations of PFASs with isotopic composition (p < 0.05), feeding habits (p < 0.05), and zones (p < 0.05) indicate that dietary proxies could be an important predictor of PFASs distribution among species. The C7–C10 PFASs exhibited bio-accumulative tendency with an accumulation factor ranging from 0.5 to 3.4. However, none of the fish samples had sufficiently high levels of PFOS to cause human health risk (HR < 1). For future studies, it is s recommended to conduct seasonal monitoring and the bioaccumulation pattern along trophic levels of both legacy and emerging PFASs.

Assessing Heavy Metal Contamination Using Biosensors and a Multi-Branch Integrated Catchment Model in the Awash River Basin, Ethiopia

Metal pollution in rivers from untreated industrial and domestic wastewater is a major issue in economically developing countries worldwide. The Awash River Basin in Ethiopia is one of those rivers that faces rising heavy metal concentrations due to poor wastewater management and loose law enforcement controlling effluent discharge into rivers. In this study, surface water and wastewater samples were collected within the Awash River Basin, with metals analysis using ICP-MS techniques. Acute toxicity of water was determined using new molecular biosensor technology based on engineered luminescent bacteria. A multi-branch Integrated Catchment Model (INCA) for metals, including Arsenic, Cadmium, Chromium, Copper, Lead, Manganese, and Zinc was applied to the Awash River Basin to simulate the impact of tannery discharge on the river water pollution levels and to evaluate a set of treatment scenarios for pollution control. Results show that all samples from tannery wastewater have high levels of metals, such as Chromium and Manganese with high levels of toxicities. River water samples from upper Awash near Addis Ababa showed elevated concentrations of heavy metals due to the untreated wastewater from the dense population and a large number of industries in that area. The modeling scenarios indicate that improved wastewater management will reduce the metal concentration significantly. With a 50% reduction in effluent concentrations, the mean concentrations of heavy metals (such as Chromium) over two years would be able to reach 20 to 50% reduction in river water samples.

Public tap water perceptions and potable reuse acceptance: A cognitive dissonance theoretical understanding

Water scarcity is a pressing issue caused by many factors, including urban water demand, poor wastewater management, and climate change. To address this growing issue, wastewater recycling for potable use is encouraged worldwide. Planned potable reuse (PPR) involves reusing treated wastewater intentionally as a drinking water source. PPR promotes a circular water economy and reduces local water shortages. However, public acceptance of PPR remains low due to the psychological disgust associated with consuming treated wastewater, known as the yuck factor. Traditional educational marketing campaigns have been ineffective in increasing PPR acceptance, necessitating further investigation into other approaches to do so. This study analyzes whether consumers’ perceptions about their current tap water significantly links to their attitudes toward PPR. Guided by the cognitive dissonance theoretical framework, our study examines if public tap water customers who (1) already believe their drinking water contains treated wastewater (de facto reuse) and (2) trust their public water suppliers (PWS) are more likely to accept PPR. Two separate survey-based studies were conducted in 2019 and 2020 on adult public water consumers in the US. Statistical analyses reveal that those participants who believe their tap water contains de facto reuse water, have high trust in their PWS, or primarily consume tap water (behavioral trust) demonstrate greater acceptance of PPR. Additionally, our results suggest that acceptance toward PPR increased after the COVID pandemic, but this effect is moderated by gender. Overall, our study results indicate that addressing cognitive dissonance in consumer attitudes toward PPR may lead to more sustainable solutions for water management in the US. Further research should explore the interplay between de facto reuse beliefs, trust, and PPR acceptance, to enable the development of effective prosocial marketing strategies that can overcome the yuck factor and ultimately promote wider consumer acceptance of PPR.

Urban Governance and Sanitation in the Peri-Urban Commune of Agoè-Nyvé 6 in Togo: Diagnosis of the Sanitation System in Adétikopé

In African cities, the ever-increasing production of wastewater and excreta poses a major management problem. The aim of this study was to take stock of wastewater and excreta management in Adétikopé in the commune of Agoè-Nyivé 6. This was a cross-sectional, descriptive study of the knowledge, attitudes and practices of the population of the locality of Adétikopé in terms of wastewater and excreta management, which took place from August 2022 to July 2023. It involved 5256 households in 12 villages in the locality of Adétikopé and was carried out via a field survey, interviews, observations and documentary research. The results showed that 72.60% of respondents were women. The majority of households (85.62%) had latrines, 66.40% of which had never been emptied. The remainder used a mechanical emptying truck (5.48%). Households without latrines (14.38%) defecate with neighbors (14.28%) in the open (66.67%) and in public latrines (19.05%). The same applies to wastewater from cooking, washing and dishwashing, which is most often dumped on the public highway (78.77%). Wastewater is a breeding ground for mosquitoes that cause malaria, which is the most common disease in the area. The results of this study show that wastewater and excreta are managed by most concessions in an unhealthy way and discharged into the environment. It is important to step up public awareness campaigns on the harmful consequences of poor wastewater and excreta disposal.

Tap-Water Security and Policy Implications in Hanoi, Vietnam

This paper investigates tap-water securities using the management of non-traditional security (MNS) framework. The study found that tap-water in Hanoi is insecure due to uncertain upstream water sources, weak water quality monitoring, and poor wastewater drainage. Main challenges to tap-water security in Hanoi are ineffective management capacity of the local authorities as well as aging pipeline systems. Improvement in tap-water governance and collaborative co-governing is necessary. Privatization of tap-water utilities is not always effective to ensure tap water accessibilities to all residents. Finally, advanced water technologies are essential to achieving tap-water security in Hanoi.&#x0D;

Green Dental Environmentalism among Students and Dentists in Greece

Ηuman sustainability in dental enterprises, as in every workplace, is connected to air and water quality, eco-friendly and naturally designed working spaces, and the culture of the 4Rs. The purpose of this study was to assess pro-environmental behavior, as well as knowledge of preferences for circular economies and green building construction, among a sample of dental students and dentists in Greece. We further assessed the factors influencing their choices. Students (N1 = 93) and dentists (N2 = 126) filled in e-questionnaires from April to December 2022. The data revealed that both students and dentists lack knowledge about the circular economy (N1 = 67.74%, N2 = 68.25%), EU regulations on amalgam disposal (N1 = 64.51%, N2 = 58.73%), and plastic recycling (N1 = 76.34%, N2 = 76.98%); meanwhile, they do recycle at home (N1 = 80.64%, N2 = 82.54%) and have participated in voluntary environmental initiatives (N1 = 58.06%, N2 = 66.66%). Gender influences the importance of factors related to green dental practices, with women students being more likely to agree that increased costs for network changes (p = 0.02) and poor wastewater management (p = 0.01) are significant. Students from urban areas are more likely to give positive answers to questions related to the lack of state financial support (p = 0.02), low levels of green design in buildings (p = 0.03), the negligible direct financial benefits of green dental offices (p = 0.04), the negligible reputational benefits of green dental offices (p = 0.02), and the lack of continuing education training seminars on green dentistry (p = 0.05). For dentists, no significant relationships were observed, except for a weak positive relationship for the increases in costs due to changes related to utility networks (p = 0.08), while increases in waste energy (p = 0.12) and the waste of dental materials (p = 0.19) seemed significant only for dentists in urban areas. Women dentists were more likely to answer positively regarding wasting energy (p = 0.024) and the use of unapproved disinfection products (p = 0.036). The findings contribute ideas and solutions for green dental practice buildings and sustainable behaviors through educational activities and regarding the social aspects of factors such as age, experience in dentistry, gender, and urbanism. This study also provides a basis for future multi-disciplinary research on dental quality assurance, the psychology of environmentalism, economics, and behavioral science in dentistry.

Water, Sanitation and Hygienic (WASH) risk factors that promote cholera outbreaks in Nairobi County

BACKGROUND &#x0D; Cholera is still a significant worldwide threat to global public health as it leads to about 100,000 deaths every year. It is a diarrheal water and foodborne disease with its person-to-person transmission resulting from limited sanitation access, poor hygiene, and inadequate water supply, which often leads to outbreaks. This study sought to examine Water, Sanitation and Hygienic (WASH) risk factors that promote cholera outbreaks in Nairobi County &#x0D; METHODOLOGY &#x0D; A cross-sectional descriptive research design was used in this study. The target population included 2,154,726 residents of Nairobi County aged 18 years and above. Slovin's Formula was used in the study to estimate the sample size. The study adopted stratified random sampling in the selection of 399 respondents from the target population. Primary datasets were collected using questionnaires and key informant interviews. The data from the questionnaires were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Descriptive statistics such as percentages and frequencies were used to study the trends and WASH factors related to cholera outbreaks. Inferential statistics included Chi-square (X2), which was used to analyze the relationship between variables. &#x0D; RESULTS &#x0D; The study established that the top five WASH challenges associated with the spread of Cholera disease included lack of enough water supply (76%); poor personal hygiene (54%); poor wastewater management (54%); poor community hygiene and sanitation (55%); and poorly maintained sewage facilities in the residential areas (44%). Communal water challenges included irregular supply of water (77%) and limited access to safe drinking water in most of the households (58%), lack of tap water in households (44%), unhygienic water vending facilities (57%) and supply of poorly treated water (38%). &#x0D; CONCLUSION &#x0D; The main risk factors related to Water, Sanitation and Hygiene practices (WASH) in areas reporting cholera outbreaks in Nairobi County were lack of adequate water supply, poor personal hygiene, poor wastewater management, poorly maintained sewage facilities, and poor culture of community hygiene and sanitation. Inadequate water supply, unregulated water vendors and water kiosks made water contamination likely.

Pollution status monitoring and indices development for evaluating sustainable environmental management practices (SEMP) in Quaid-e-Azam Industrial Estate, Pakistan

The economic growth of the global industrial sector has become a grave concern to immensely degrade the environment in recent years. The industries lack an effective environmental management plan to mitigate environmental contamination and pollution load by following good practices such as less consumption of raw materials, waste reduction, wastewater treatment, and pollution control. Significantly, the current study aims to investigate the environmental baseline conditions of Quaid-e-Azam Industrial Estate (QIE) and design Environmental Management Plan (EMP) to alleviate the impacts of industrial wastewater effluents, ambient air, ambient noise level, and solid waste. In addition, this study monitors the current pollution status and develops the air/water quality indices to evaluate sustainable environmental management practices (SEMP) in QIE. The obtained key finding reported a poor wastewater quality index ranging from 100 to 150. Furthermore, the air quality index suggested that ambient air in the vicinity of QIE varied from 52 to 72, which is evident that ambient air is moderately polluted and pose risk to public health. Additionally, the ambient noise level was considerably 12.8% higher in the morning and 18.7% higher than the prescribed level in the afternoon. Furthermore, approximately 10 t of solid waste was collected regularly from the industrial waste pits. Around 85.8% were moderately polluting ambient air whereas only 5.1% highly deteriorating ambient air. Significantly, a detailed environmental management plan (EMP) was designed to include impact identification, mitigation measures, frequency of monitoring the effectiveness of mitigatory measures, and assigning of responsibilities. Overall, the environmental management plan should become an integral part of the overall management system to achieve sustainable development goals (SDGs), including sustainable cities and communities (SDG11), life below water (SDG14), and life on land (SDG15).

Aptasensors in environmental forensics: Tracking the silent killers

AbstractSince its inception, environmental forensics has observed expansion of its horizons across several threats to life forms, be it pertaining to wildlife trafficking or tracking the release of effluents containing pharmaceutical drugs, toxins, pesticides, heavy metals, pathogenic microbes, and microplastics. With the substantial growth of pharmaceutical industry over the past few decades, especially with respect to therapeutic personal care products and over the counter drugs, a new threat to environment has emerged from pharmaceutical toxicity. Due to the recalcitrant nature and poor wastewater treatment practices related to these pollutants, they leach into different strata of ecosystem like aquatic, terrestrial, and atmospheric systems. These drugs pose a threat to several life forms even at trace concentrations. This article aims at providing a profound perspective by exhaustively reviewing several classes of pharmaceutical drugs that are silently threatening the wildlife and environment. The sensitive, specific, and rapid detection of such drugs menacing the environment and wildlife is pertinent and can be achieved through aptamer‐based biosensors known as aptasensors. These are a rising class of biosensors with vast application potential in numerous fields including environmental and wildlife forensics. This article also highlights the gap in research in the availability of rapid sensors for trace detection of drugs in environment hence encouraging researchers to explore the under‐explored potential of aptasensors in environmental forensics. Highly sensitive and selective detection of such drugs is crucial in narrowing down the origin of such pollutants so as to aid the regulatory authorities in enforcing control over their release into environment.This article is categorized under: Forensic Chemistry and Trace Evidence &gt; Trace Evidence Forensic Chemistry and Trace Evidence &gt; Forensic Food and Environment Analysis

Efficiency of prefabricated biodigesters in the treatment of domestic wastewater in dispersed rural localities

In most developing nations, poor wastewater management continues to be a significant health and environmental concern. In this context, the research seeks to evaluate the efficiency of the biodigester treatment of domestic wastewater through monitoring and evaluation, based on physicochemical and bacterial parameters to reduce environmental pollution caused by excreta in the Chibaya Baja sector, Peru. Water sampling was done in the influent and effluent of the biodigester, taking samples periodically every 15 days, for 01 months, obtaining 03 samples for physicochemical and bacteriological analysis. According to the results obtained from the laboratory, the efficiency of the domestic wastewater treatment was 59.51% of the biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), 49.16% of the chemical oxygen demand (COD), in oils and fats 35.92%, in total suspended solids 52.78% and fecal coliforms (thermotolerant) 89.19%. A comparison of the parameters evaluated with the maximum permissible limits set by the Peruvian Ministry of the Environment reveals that the levels of BOD and COD exceed the limits. Therefore, this wastewater should not be discharged into water bodies.

Differences in responses of activated sludge to nutrients-poor wastewater: Function, stability, and microbial community

Whether activated sludge (AS) systems exhibit different patterns in response to different levels and types of nutrient-poor wastewater is inconclusive, and the microbiological mechanisms are unclear. This study evaluated comparatively the impacts of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P)-poor wastewater on AS. The results showed that AS could adapt to N (C/N of 100/2) and P-limited (C/P of 100/0.3) wastewater, and N deficiency (C/N of 100/0) reduced the abundance of denitrifying phosphorus-accumulating bacteria and P removal, while P deficiency (C/P of 100/0) reduced the abundance of nitrifying bacteria and N removal. In addition, both N and P deficiency led to a decrease in AS aggregation, and N deficiency reduced sludge settling performance. Although the reduction in the AS aggregation was related to the massive secretion of exopolysaccharide (PS) in N and P deficiency, the elevated PS content due to N deficiency was associated with Candidatus_Competibacter and unclassified_f_Rhodobacteraceae, and the elevated PS content due to P deficiency was associated with Defluviicoccus, Flavobacterium, Phreatobacter, Taonella and Candidatus_Contendobacter. N and P deficiency also resulted in different bacterial metabolism. The pathways related to energy metabolism were significantly up- and down-regulated in N- and P-poor system, leading to the enrichment of different types of glycogen-accumulating organisms (Candidatus_Competibacter and Defluviicoccus). Finally, the Variance Partitioning Analysis (VPA) revealed that N-poor system depended on the compound impact of multiple environmental factors, while the influence of single factor is more obvious in P-poor system. The study provides insights of the responses of AS to N and P poor wastewater from a microbial perspective, which can be useful for further applications of activated sludge.

HTA264 Why Doesn't Environmental Impact Play a Bigger Role in Health Economic Evaluation and Health Technology Assessment – A Systematic Literature Review

In 2010, NHS accounted for ∼4% of total national emissions, with pharmaceuticals as the major contributor. The US healthcare system accounts for a significant fraction of the national air pollution emissions, paradoxically accounting for 405,000-470,000 DALYs in 2013. Pharmaceutical production and usage in sites with poor wastewater management have resulted in ecological and human health risks due to high concentrations of active pharmaceutical ingredients within 26% of studied rivers. This systematic review aims at clarifying how health economic evaluation (HEE) and health technology assessment (HTA) can be utilized to mitigate the environmental impact (EI) of health care.

Detection of the SARS-CoV-2 Delta Variant in the Transboundary Rivers of Yunnan, China.

Ruili and Longchuan, two border counties in southwestern China, are facing epidemic control challenges due to the high rate of COVID-19 infections originating from neighboring Myanmar. Here, we aimed to establish the applicability of wastewater and environmental water surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 and conduct whole-genome sequencing (WGS) to trace the possible infection origin. In August 2021, total 72 wastewater and river water samples were collected from 32 sampling sites. SARS-CoV-2 ORF1ab and N genes were measured by RT-qPCR. We found that 19 samples (26.39%) were positive, and the viral loads of ORF1ab and N genes were 6.62 × 102-2.55×105 and 1.86 × 103-2.32 × 105 copies/L, respectively. WGS further indicated the sequences in two transboundary river samples, and one hospital wastewater sample belonged to the delta variant, suggesting that the infection source might be areas with high COVID-19 delta variant incidence in Southeast Asia (e.g., Myanmar). We reported for the first time the detection and quantification of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in the transboundary rivers of Myanmar-China. Our findings demonstrate that wastewater and environmental water may provide independent and nonintrusive surveillance points to monitor the global spread of emerging COVID-19 variants of concern, particularly in high-risk regions or border areas with considerable epidemic challenges and poor wastewater treatment facilities.

The future of the Black Sea: More pollution in over half of the rivers

The population in the Black Sea region is expected to decline in the future. However, a better understanding of how river pollution is affected by declining trends in population and increasing trends in economic developments and urbanization is needed. This study aims to quantify future trends in point-source emissions of nutrients, microplastics, Cryptosporidium, and triclosan to 107 rivers draining into the Black Sea. We apply a multi-pollutant model for 2010, 2050, and 2100. In the future, over half of the rivers will be more polluted than in 2010. The population in 74 sub-basins may drop by over 25% in our economic scenario with poor wastewater treatment. Over two-thirds of the people will live in cities and the economy may grow 9-fold in the region. Advanced wastewater treatment could minimize trade-offs between economy and pollution: our Sustainability scenario projects a 68–98% decline in point-source pollution by 2100. Making this future reality will require coordinated international efforts.

Tools for a comprehensive assessment of public health risks associated with limited sanitation services provision

Three water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) support tools were applied to Kampala city, Uganda, to evaluate areas with the highest health hazard due to poor wastewater and faecal sludge management and to develop interventions to improve sanitation and reduce exposure. The Pathogen Flow and Mapping Tool (PFMT) assessed how different sanitation management interventions influence pathogen emissions to surface water using rotavirus as the indicator pathogen, while the HyCRISTAL health hazard tool evaluated how flooding and drainage infrastructure influence the presence of human excreta in the environment. The SaniPath tool identified common high-risk pathways of exposure to faecal contamination in food, open drains and floodwater. An overlap in high health hazard hotspot areas was identified by the PFMT and the HyCRISTAL tools. Across the city, the most important hazard sources were the indiscriminate disposal of faecal waste into open stormwater drains from onsite sanitation technologies, open defecation and the insufficient treatment of wastewater. The SaniPath tool identified drain water, floodwater, street food and uncooked produce as the dominant faecal exposure pathways for selected parishes in the city, demonstrating the presence of excreta in the environment. Together, the tools provide collective evidence guiding household, community, and city-wide sanitation, hygiene and infrastructure management interventions from a richer assessment than when a single tool is applied. For areas with high spatial risks, those practising open defecation, and for low-lying areas, these interventions include the provision of watertight pit latrines or septic tanks that are safely managed and regularly emptied. Faecal sludge should be emptied before flood events, direct connections of latrines to open storm drains should be prevented, and the safe handling of food and water promoted. The tools enhance decision making for local authorities, and the assessments can be replicated in other cities.