Importance of Innovation for Human Waste Treatment

Yuyao Wu

As Rio bay waters show, we badly need innovation in treating human wastes

August 13, 2016 3.41am AEST

http://theconversation.com/as-rio-bay-waters-show-we-badly-need-innovation-in-treating-human-wastes-63379

By referring the issue of poor water quality in the 2016 Rio Olympic water, Daniele Lantagne, an assistant Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering in Tufts University, demonstrates how series untreated water can pose threat to people’s health through the article. Lantagne also informs people to think highly of the issue of disposing untreated water, arguing that sewerage systems are needed to apply in our lives.

Treating waste water and sewage is not only a problem happened in Rio, but also a problem happened worldwide. Therefore, “technical and social innovation” are not only needed for disposing “contaminated” water, but also the inevitable elements for the process of sustainability.

The writer applies a logical tone to inform the readers that people’s health is exposed to danger if they live “in an environment contaminated with human waste”. “the untreated water causes 760000 children die from diarrhea per year worldwide and 162 million children under five suffer stunting”, which is evidence by sanitation provision (2007). The writer makes her argument seem more reliable by the use of reliable evidence. It is sorrowful to accept that a large number of children die each year because of the “contaminated water”. Through the evidence, we can know that the situation is serious or might be more serious if we take no measure to treat the water before disposal. Thus, it highlights how urgent and necessary we need to improve “sanitation faculties” in order to reverse the “health threats.”

Furthermore, Lantagne states that apply the waste treatment in life can increase the quality of life. The writer uses the fact that the project of the sewerage system in United States achieves significant success in providing “treated and safe water” to households. Indeed, in our daily life, water is the basic need for every human-being. The quality of water has a direct impact on human health. Therefore, we realise how vital roles the sewerage systems play in our lives.

However, Lantagne argues that in reality, it is hardly to keep using sewerage systems, septic tanks and latrines because of the financial reason and rapidly population growth. Through listing the limitation of sewerage systems, septic tanks and latrines, Lantagne makes her point seem more objective and more considerable. Although the limitation of sewerage systems exists, we still need to use sewerage system to dispose untreated water. Lantagne consummates her argument by listing three examples for the further process of treating human waste, which are “community mobilization strategies”, “Systems-based” and “social enterprise services”. However, nowadays, it is not enough to provide the solution to treat the untreated water. Beforehand, sense of environmental consciousness is needed to be ingrained in people’s mind. Otherwise, lack senses of environmental consciousness will be one of the most obvious barriers to stop people to care, think and work out the solution for disposing contaminated water or other environmental issues.

Overall, the writer offers her opinions based on evidence and fact in a reasonable and logical tone, which makes her arguments seem more valid. The points raised by the writer is worth to reconsider as treating water before disposal is one of the most serious environmental issues. We need to know how serious health consequences we are suffering due to the contaminated water before we realize how urgent we need to apply the sewerage system in life. Besides, the senses of environmental consciousness are the basic knowledge impels us to work out the solution for environmental issues.

References; http://theconversation.com/as-rio-bay-waters-show-we-badly-need-innovation-in-treating-human-wastes-63379