A/68/264 B. Increasing water pollution and continuing exposure, and their impact on human rights 11. Exposure to faeces and wastewater is a reality that many individuals face. Effects range from ill-health to hampering education and work. Global processes of change, including population growth, but more importantly, economic growth, changing lifestyles and diets, and urbanization will further increase the demand for water and produce growing volumes of wastewater. An estimated 1,500 km³ of wastewater are generated worldwide per year, 6 which corresponds roughly to the volume of over 300,000 Maracanã football stadiums filled with wastewater up to the top. It is estimated that more than 80 per cent of all wastewater generated worldwide is not treated. 7 12. Looking at on-site sanitation solutions, faecal sludge and septage are all too often not confined and treated, while not even included in the aforementioned figures. Faecal sludge, the management of which is often overlooked, if not ignored, presents a major health hazard, especially in urban areas. Designated disposal or treatment sites for faecal sludge often are lacking or are dysfunctional. After pits or tanks have been emptied, sludge is often dumped in the vicinity of peoples’ dwellings, and hence remains a major health hazard. 13. Water safety is a central component of the human right to water, and large volumes of unmanaged wastewater compromise the availability of safe water. Water pollution also endangers other human rights. Unmanaged wastewater constitutes a hazard for both the environment and human health, the two being closely interlinked, as damage to the integrity of the ecosystem inevitably has an impact on human health and well-being. Dead zones are spreading in oceans and lakes, and many groundwater reservoirs have become polluted beyond remediation, thereby threatening the livelihoods of people relying on ecosystem services. 14. Water-related diseases make up a large part of the global disease burden, with more people dying as a result of polluted water than are killed in wars and other forms of violence. 8 Many so-called water-related diseases are in fact faeces-related diseases, which transmitted through contact with or ingestion of water contaminated with faeces. 9 15. It is difficult to determine what share of the disease burden and other negative impacts can be attributed to inadequate wastewater management and water contamination. Many public health benefits are derived from access to sanitation, avoidance of direct contact with human excreta and improvement of hygienic practice. However, where wastewater is not even confined and people are exposed to pathogens, lack of wastewater management has negative impacts. Conversely, an increase in the level of wastewater management has been shown to result in public __________________ 6 7 8 9 13-41825 United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), United Nations World Water Development Report, Water for People, Water for Life, p. 87 (Paris, 2003). UNESCO, United Nations World Water Development Report, managing water under uncertainty and risk, p. 66 (fourth edition) (Paris, 2012). Sick Water, p. 5. Maggie Black and Ben Fawcett, The Last Taboo: Opening the Door on the Global Sanitation Crisis, p. 72 (London, Earthscan, 2008). 5/23