Problems of the US population with central sewage
Decentralized sewage systems have a key advantage: by using them, we can reduce the expenses of transporting wastewater from the start and also, perhaps more importantly, we can make them more manageable. Such a system might exist in villages or in places far from the central hub, helping us allocate financial resources better. A decentralized system is one of the best alternatives to the traditional centralized network.
It's widely known that "green" technologies help us reduce the impact of human activities on the environment. Exactly this kind of technology involves the new processing and filtering of wastewater, using it for agricultural or energy purposes. This technology aids in cutting down the expenses involved in treating wastewater.
Urban water on the surface or underground is basically a mix of water from rains, drainage, and leftovers from houses and commercial or industrial spots that ends up in drainage points.
Untreated wastewater contains a large amount of organic material, pathogenic microorganism and other harmful substances that pose a threat to the environment and human health. Therefore, their timely transportation and proper cleaning is necessary.
A biological treatment plant is an eco-friendly alternative to wastewater treatment, which allows us to use purified water for irrigation. Such devices are used in various countries of the world, especially those that are characterized by water scarcity.
Europe uses only 2.4% of the total volume of treated urban water, which is less than 0.5% of the annual freshwater consumption in the EU. On the other hand, Cyprus and Malta reuse more than 90% and 60% of their wastewater.
It's well known that both underground and surface water resources in Cyprus are limited. That's why, in 2005, the country set standards for using underground water, all fully integrated into national law. Besides that, a major goal is to change 40% of water usage in rural areas to treated water.
In 2018, a new water usage standard was implemented in five European countries, regulated by corresponding legislation. These countries are: Cyprus, France, Switzerland, Italy, and Spain. Portugal also has a water usage standard, but it applies only to certain permissions.
The United States uses over 2 billion liters of treated water per day, and this number keeps increasing. Almost every household in the US relies heavily on decentralized wastewater treatment systems.
To keep people healthy, it's important to add an extra step to clean up the water – make it treated. This process involves using special tech and some advanced methods to get it done.
Decentralized water systems and reusing water help deal with water shortages and use it smarter.
Water is a vitally important resource, that is why it is the duty of every person to take care of it. Surface water pollution and sedimentation are mainly caused by insufficient or at least untreated wastewater discharge. This causes quite a lot of damage to the entire ecosystem - the environment, human health, and is absolutely against the European standard of water management.
Georgia signed an association agreement with the European Union, which led to taking responsibilities outlined in the law and fulfilling requests related to water management.
According to the association agreement, Georgia will soon integrate water resource management in line with European standards.
Source: Economic benefits of efficient water technologies in water management, UNDP/GEF.
Best Practices and Innovative Technologies in Urban Water Treatment/Recycling - Project by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) on Governance for Resilience.
