ABSTRACT
Sanitation is one of the most important human-related considerations in the management of the urban water cycle. Stringent attention must be paid to reducing the risk of contamination with infectious agents: bacteria, viruses or otherwise health-adverse substances which may be carried by water. As was acknowledged in the mid-nineteenth century, faecally-contaminated water used for consumption was a major carrier of several disease-causing agents (e.g. amoeba, giardia, cryptosporidium, etc.). The risk of actually getting ill is determined by the following factors:
● the chance of coming in contact with the agent ● the vulnerability of the person in question (particularly vulnerable groups are
referred to as YOPIs (the young, old, pregnant or immuno-deficient) ● the span of time during which exposure occurs.
