Reclaimed wastewater for drinking: safe but still a tough sell

Reclaimed Wastewater for Drinking Your First Your Submitted Introduction Water is an everyday part of human life, as well as other living things on earth. On its own, it gives life to animals which live in different bodies of water. At the start of the new millennium, water crisis has been a problem, not only in our country, but also in other parts of the world. Those which suffer the most are in the areas near the oceans or are surrounded by sea water. This is because very small amount of water is available for drinking of humans. Ker Than (2012) of the National Geograhic News reported on the use of reclaimed wastewater for drinking in private and municipal use. However, the acceptance of people is a great challenge for the technology that is being advertised.
Reclaimed Wastewater for Drinking
Reclaimed wastewater, or treated wastewater is publicly accepted for agriculture and industrial purposes. But the thought of it also becoming a source for human use makes it difficult for most people to accept (Than, 2012). The word “ wastewater” creates discomfort in people, and its introduction as an alternative source of drinking water makes people worry even more about their health.
The technology of filtration and other processes that help minimize the chemical toxins and microbial contaminants is slowly being introduced to the public through different forms of media to be able to properly educate the people on the use of recycled wastewater for drinking. The stricter standards of the EPA for the treatment of wastewater is also a form of guarantee for the public that recycled wastewater is safe (Than, 2012). This now becomes an issue of trust. Like how far will the public trust the government, the industries releasing treated wastewater and other water treatment facilities when it come to the safety of the water they will use for drinking?
Than (2012) emphasized that the challenge of reclaimed wastewater distributors or providers is the psychological impact of their product on the people. This is because the source from which the wastewater came from will become a concern for the public. But the success story of Orange County can be used as a good example on how to slowly introduce reclaimed wastewater and slowly build the confidence of the people without creating useless fear among those who are consuming the reclaimed wastewater for drinking (Than, 2012). Advertisement and the government’s role in ensuring safety and that the standards are created in the most strict degree may be of great help for the public to gain confidence on the new technology.
Conclusion
The technology and use of reclaimed wastewater for drinking has its pro’s and con’s, as in any local or national issue. The only thing which makes it difficult to weigh both sides is because we are faced with the crisis of losing the part of freshwater that can be used by humans and plants which cannot survive in salt water. As humans, we worry that in the coming future we may no longer have freshwater available in any part of the world. This will then lead to the consequence of recycling whichever we may find useful to be able to have drinking water. This scenario points out the importance of the technology being introduced and that these technologies will be able to delay the inevitable loss of man’s share on freshwater.
As in any form of crisis, both the government and the public must be able to work together so that there will be more of the advantages of the technology. All of us must be able to recognize that the changes happening in the world is part of our lack of respect to nature, and water shortage is one of its consequences. So whether we like it or not, we have to take our share of the responsibility of accepting the consequence of what we did and learn to adapt to be able to survive.
References
Than, Ker. (31 January 2012). “ Reclaimed Wastewater for Drinking: Safe But Still A Tough
Sell”. Retrieved from http://news. nationalgeographic. com/news/2012/01/120131-reclaimed-wastewater-for-drinking/.