Wastewater Treatment in Small Communities Using Some Natural and Synthetic Materials

Abstract

Rapid urbanization and industrialization release enormous volumes of wastewater, which is increasingly utilized as a resource for irrigation in urban and peri-urban agriculture. The water is becoming more polluted and risk of this polluted water consumption and its sanitation problem is increasing day to day in most of the developing countries so the problem of sanitation in small communities is one of the most pressing problems that must be resolved urgently. In some places there is no sewage network services, while they have only very primitive analysis tanks. In most cases, these wastes are discharged directly either in the Nile River, canals, drains or shrubs and may reach groundwater, which is a source of drinking water in many villages. This results in health, economic and social problems that negatively affect human health and the environment. As a result, construction, operation and maintenance of wastewater system have emerged as a major environmental challenge for the government of Egypt. Sewage treatment by conventional means is very efficient. However, the high construction, operation and maintenance costs for a conventional wastewater collection and treatment system represent an obstacle for the Egyptian government in the installment of such a system in rural areas and small communities. The application of such expensive systems does not offer a sustainable solution for