Global wastewater treatment capacity needs to rise by 8.56 bn cubic meters to meet UN goals: Report

Global wastewater treatment capacity needs to increase annually by 8.56 billion cubic meters to meet the United Nations (UN) goals, ABB said on Tuesday.

According to the UN, 2.2 billion people lack access to safely managed drinking water, while more than 4.2 billion people lack safely managed sanitation, the electrification and automation major company said in a report.

''Global wastewater treatment capacity needs to increase annually by 8.56 billion cubic meters and investment in an additional 469 treatment facilities per year is required to meet United Nations (UN) goals,'' the report said.

ABB said its research focuses on ''SDG 6.3 which aims to improve water quality by halving the proportion of untreated wastewater globally, increasing recycling, and minimising the release of hazardous materials.'' Treating wastewater is energy intensive, with the industry consuming up to three per cent of the world's total energy output and contributing to over 1.5 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions, it said.

''The research proves more needs to be done to help support the UN goals and accelerate progress in tackling water scarcity,'' Brandon Spencer, President of ABB Energy Industries, said.

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