Wastewater Management Techniques: A Review of Advancement on the Appropriate Wastewater Treatment Principles for Sustainability

Abstract

Water is an essential resource that is required to sustain life. Its availability has to be adequate, safe and easily accessible. Current trends in climate change and rise in human population has compromised water adequacy, availability and safety. Wastewater managers around the world have the responsibility to ensure that the effluent that is eventually released into the environment does not degrade the quality of the recipient water bodies. Attaining sustainability in wastewater management is top in the of Sustainable Development Goals’ Agenda.  All in all, the realization of a more sustainable wastewater management will require a highly holistic and balanced approach in evaluating a particular management strategy's overall sustainability. Promoting the use of safe, affordable and adequately available wastewater treatment techniques is a step towards wastewater management for sustainability. This review paper therefore discusses some of the currently known and emerging wastewater management techniques that are considered essential in attaining sustainability in water resource management.