[International] 2018 SUSTAINABLE SANITATION, WASTE AND WATER MANAGEMENT CONFERENCE

Dates: 20-23 November 2018
Venue: Cape Town | South Africa
Theme: Optimal sanitation and water management for sustainable globe

The proper and sustainable management of sanitation, waste and water resources is a fundamental goal of the United Nations, as articulated in the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. The management of these resources has a direct bearing on the quality of lives for all, but more especially communities in cities. Freshwater resources are depleting at an alarming rate, contaminated by human waste from industries and households, which compounds the water scarcity problem that currently affects one out of every ten people worldwide. These problems are corroborated by the WHO/UNICEF report of 2017, which highlights that over 2.1 billion people lacked access to safely managed drinking water resources and more than half of the global population (4.5 billion people) lacked safely managed sanitation services. 

Furthermore, in 2017, UNESCO found that nearly 80% of wastewater flows back into the ecosystem without being properly treated. This means that poor solid waste management presents a devastating effect on groundwater. The burden of diseases associated with poor sanitation, water pollution and poor waste management is escalating, manifesting in intestinal nematode infections, lymphatic filariasis, trachoma, schistosomiasis, malaria and other infectious diseases. The World Health Organisation estimates that more than 2.2 million people die from diarrhoea annually.

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