ABSTRACT
Since the 1970s, the world’s population has doubled, and industrialization has accelerated, resulting in a dramatic increase in the demand for fresh water. In particular, migration from the countryside to the cities has resulted in an unprecedented increase in urban population, further widening the gap between urban and rural water supplies. In addition, many cities and towns have become vulnerable due to the rising wastewater generation in metropolitan areas, highlighting the necessity to construct efficient infrastructure for managing wastewater resources. Reduced access to potable water has moved the attention from seeing wastewater treatment as a necessary evil to seeing it as a potentially valuable resource. Because of this trend, wastewater treatment technologies have advanced, and reuse potential of wastewater has been harnessed. This chapter emphasizes the importance of wastewater treatment and the difficulties inherent in the process. An overview of the current global scenario for wastewater generation and management in different countries has also been provided. Water reuse for both potable and non-potable applications, as well as energy recovery from wastewater, is also covered in this chapter. The conventional wastewater management system is also briefly described.
