ISLAMABAD - A new study by scientists at Utrecht University and the United Nations University concludes that about half of global wastewater is treated, rather than the previous estimate of 20%. Despite this promising finding, the authors warn that treatment rates in developing countries are still very low. The study and its dataset were published Open Access in the journal Earth System Science Data.Humans and factories produce vast quantities of wastewater per day. 

If not properly collected and treated, wastewater may severely threaten human health and pollute the environment.The authors use national statistics to estimate volumes of wastewater production, collection, treatment and reuse. “Globally, about 359 billion cubic meters of wastewater is produced each year, equivalent to 144 million Olympic-sized swimming pools,” says Edward Jones, PhD researcher at Utrecht University and lead author of the study. “About 48 percent of that water is currently released untreated. This is much lower than the frequently cited figure of 80 percent.”While the results show a more optimistic outlook compared to previous work, the authors stress that many challenges still exist. “