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Image: Eric Grave / Science Photo
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The
discharge of untreated domestic and industrial
effluents is a problem that challenges public
and environmental health on a global scale. In
the eastern Africa sub-region, facilities for
the treatment of domestic and industrial
effluents are either inefficient or
non-existent thus leading to discharge of high
contents of organic matter, nutrients,
sulphides and heavy metals into nearby surface
waters. This does not only affect the health
of nearby communities but also poses a
significant impact on the economies of
eastern African countries such as the fishing industry,
because the wastewater is highly oxygen
demanding and toxic due to nutrients and heavy
metals.
Wastewater
treatment and management in eastern Africa
is greatly limited by lack of efficient
treatment technologies, critical trained human
resource, and lack of investment in wastewater
management research. The high population
growth rates, urbanization and growth of the
industrial sector have compounded the problems
of environmental sustainability notably due to
the large volumes of wastes generated. The
current traditional pond and activated sludge
processes in isolation do not remove
substantial amounts of pollutants, such as
nutrients, from wastewater, and are
becoming less affordable for developing
nations due to ever increasing rural and urban
population densities vis-à-vis poorly
performing national economies. Furthermore,
these wastewater treatment technologies often
do not meet national wastewater discharge
standards to protect the human population at
risk, and prevent environmental degradation.
Therefore, development of more efficient
wastewater treatment technologies in the eastern
Africa Region will help to protect the
environment from adverse effects due to
discharge of untreated urban and industrial
waters.
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