Nature plays big role in treating waste, finds study

THE TEAM collected data from 48 cities across the globe and found that nature treats approximately 41.7 million tonnes of human waste per year worldwide, a service worth around

$4.4 billion.

The role that nature and natural systems play in treating human waste could cost the world around $4.4 billion a year, a study by University of Hyderabad (UoH), in collaboration with universities in the United Kingdom, has found.

The study found that in addition to the human engineered sanitation infrastructure worldwide, nature plays a big role in treating human wastes. UoH faculty from the School of Economics, Dr Prajna Paramita Mishra and research associate Kongala Venkatesh, were part of the study.

The team collected data from 48 cities across the globe and found that nature treats approximately 41.7 million tonnes of human waste per year worldwide, a service worth around $4.4 billion. According to Dr Mishra, previous studies have mentioned the importance of safe disposal of human waste for human wellbeing, while preventing the degradation of ecosystems. These studies neglected the role that ecosystems themselves play in treating human waste, Dr Mishra said.

The team demonstrated the opportunities and challenges of quantifying these “sanitation ecosystem services” to raise awareness on using nature as a means of sustainable energy, along with the engineering infrastructure. “This is a promising route for further research and may allow adaptive design and management, reducing costs, and improving effectiveness and sustainability” researchers said.The study has been shared with the GHMC and the HMSW&SB, Dr Mishra said.