WHO publishes third edition of its guidelines for the safe use of wastewater, excreta and greywater

 In many parts of the world, good quality fresh water resources are becoming increasingly scarce. At the same time, wastewater is produced in ever larger quantities, mainly as a result of the continued growth of the human population and the process of rapid urbanization. In reality, wastewater is a water resource of ever-growing importance, particularly for the urban and peri-urban poor whose livelihoods depend on agricultural products that can be marketed locally. However, its use for crop and fish production carries important health risks and the disease burden that can be attributed to its unsafe use is considerable.

The third edition of the WHO Guidelines for the Safe Use of Wastewater, Excreta and Greywater in Agriculture and Aquaculture is published in four volumes, addressing, respectively, policy and regulatory aspects, wastewater use in agriculture, wastewater and excreta use in aquaculture and excreta and greywater use in agriculture.  It supersedes the second edition of the guidelines, which was published in 1989.