Recycling the world’s wastewater, almost all of which goes untreated, would ease global water shortages while protecting the environment, the United Nations said in a major report on Wednesday. “Neglecting the opportunities arising from improved wastewater management is nothing less than unthinkable,” said Irina Bokova, director-general of UNESCO, one of several UN bodies behind the report issued on World Water Day. Last year, the World Economic Forum’s annual survey of opinion leaders identified water crises as the top global risk over the next decade. The 200-page World Water Development Report details a four-pronged strategy for transforming wastewater from a problem to a solution, said lead author Richard Connor of UNESCO’s World Water Assessment Program. In Singapore and the southern California coastal city of San Diego, residents already drink recycled water.

Source: Manila Times March 22, 2017 00:45 UTC