Integrated Systems for the Treatment and Recycling of Waste Water in Latin America: Reality and Potential

Abstract

[Summary] Latin America is one of the regions with greater population density in urban areas, where more than 360 million inhabitants live (74% of its total population in 1998). The coverage of domestic wastewater treatment is only 14%. More than 500,000 ha of crops are irrigated with raw wastewater, which implies a high risk of enteric disease dissemination. Taking into account this context, the International Development Research Centre of Canada (IDRC) and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) signed an arrangement for the execution of the project Integrated Systems for the Treatment and Recycling of Waste Water in Latin America: Reality and Potential, to be carried out by the Pan American Center for Sanitary Engineering and Environmental Sciences (PAHO/CEPIS) during 2000 and 2002. The project was aimed at analyzing wastewater management experiences in Latin America, recommending strategies for the design and implementation of such systems, and identifying new opportunities.