{"id":1071,"date":"2023-11-08T06:14:44","date_gmt":"2023-11-08T06:14:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ecoklien.com\/staging\/3641\/?p=1071"},"modified":"2026-04-17T17:33:25","modified_gmt":"2026-04-17T17:33:25","slug":"biomedical-waste-and-communities-living-on-the-edge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ecoklien.com\/staging\/3641\/biomedical-waste-and-communities-living-on-the-edge\/","title":{"rendered":"Biomedical Waste and Communities Living on the Edge"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Biomedical<\/figure>\n\n\n

(Prefer video content?Watch THIS<\/a>…) <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wastewater management is critical for public health and environmental<\/a> protection. However, many communities worldwide bear the brunt of untreated wastewater. Affected communities are often those that are already marginalized and disadvantaged. They are more likely to live in areas with poor sanitation and wastewater management infrastructure.<\/a>    <\/p>\n\n\n\n

How is Community Health Affected?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The most immediate and severe impact on communities is the risk of waterborne diseases. Bacteria, viruses and parasites thrive in untreated wastewater, and are especially harmful to children and the elderly. Diarrhea is one of the most common waterborne diseases along with cholera, typhoid <\/a>and dysentery. According to WHO<\/a> 525,000 children die every year due to diarrhea, 1.8 billion<\/a> people die from waterborne diseases and 88% of them are children under the age of 5.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Besides waterborne diseases, respiratory issues, cancer and skin conditions like dermatitis <\/a>are also common in communities exposed to untreated wastewater. Children also tend to face developmental issues and malnutrition. Then, there is the issue of antimicrobial resistance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2010<\/a>, a cholera outbreak in Haiti killed over 10,000 people and sickened over 820,000. The primary reason for the outbreak was untreated wastewater contaminating drinking water sources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is the Effect on the Community\u2019s Environment?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The communities along affected water bodies depend on them. It is often their primary source of water, utilized for multiple everyday activities like fishing, agriculture and animal husbandry, which gets severely impacted. Reduced yields, poor crop quality laden with toxins are common issues threatening food security.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Further, a community\u2019s native ecosystem faces critical damage. It\u2019s a chain reaction. Aquatic ecosystems take a hit. A loss of biodiversity can be observed with behavioral changes in species. <\/a> An imbalance of nutrients in the waterbody leads it slowly towards eutrophication.It\u2019s a chain reaction. Because everything mentioned so far affects the community\u2019s economy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How is the Community\u2019s Economy affected?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A community’s economy heavily depends on local resources. When said resources are deteriorating, so does the economy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The pollution of water bodies causes damage to fisheries <\/a>and aquatic life, affecting the fishing industry. They face lower yields and collected yield may have toxic traits. Additionally, the health effects on these communities reduce the overall productivity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tourism in the affected communities takes a big hit as well. Polluted water bodies are not much of an ideal tourist spot. Reduced tourism is a loss of substantial revenue. Revenue that can help develop the community and contribute to treating and supplying drinking water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What can we do to help the affected communities?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n