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Social and Cultural Dimensions in Wastewater Use

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Wastewater

Abstract

Even when wastewater use projects are technically well-planned, appear financially viable, and have incorporated appropriate health protection measures, reuse can fail if planners do not adequately account for the dynamics of social acceptance. Drawing from practical cases of project failure or success, we present a number of factors that commonly influence the introduction or improvement of wastewater use for potable and non-potable purposes. While water scarcity supports a discussion about reuse, decisive factors might be the level of direct exposure, availability of alternative water sources, education levels and perceptions of health risks, extent of public participation and buy-in, religious concerns, and the means and messages used in knowledge sharing and communication. Overall, acceptance of (safe) wastewater use varies with the development stage of the society, and can be a very dynamic process which makes social feasibility studies, close participation of target groups, and trust building essential components of successful reuse programs.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. International Water Management Institute (IWMI), P.O. Box 2075, Colombo, Sri Lanka

    Pay Drechsel

  2. National Research Institute for Rural Engineering, Water, and Forestry, Ariana, Tunisia

    Olfa Mahjoub

  3. Copenhagen School of Global Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark

    Bernard Keraita

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  1. Pay Drechsel
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  2. Olfa Mahjoub
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  3. Bernard Keraita
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Correspondence to Pay Drechsel .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Int. Water Management Institute (IWMI), Colombo, Sri Lanka

    Pay Drechsel

  2. United Nations University Institute for Water, Env. and Health, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

    Manzoor Qadir

  3. Agricultural Water Management, Bloomington, Indiana, USA

    Dennis Wichelns

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Drechsel, P., Mahjoub, O., Keraita, B. (2015). Social and Cultural Dimensions in Wastewater Use. In: Drechsel, P., Qadir, M., Wichelns, D. (eds) Wastewater. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-9545-6_5

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