The Impacts of Treating Transboundary Sewage

Transboundary sewage includes waste that flows from the water bodies of one country to the next. Usually, the country where the sewage originates from is responsible for treating it; however, in most cases both countries contribute toward the treatment. The proper handling of transboundary sewage helps reduce risks of ecological disasters, outbreaks of waterborne human diseases and disputes between countries.

Sewage

• Sewage contains an extensive list of waste material, including human and animal feces, household and industrial chemical toxins, pathogenic organisms, plastics and heavy metals. In most countries, sewage undergoes at least primary and secondary treatment processes, and in some cases the extracted wastewater is recycled. The same care must be taken with sewage that flows across international borders, to avoid polluting other countries.

Country Relations

• Countries that work collaboratively to deal with transboundary sewage are more effective. For example, the International Boundary and Water Commission is a binational body with jurisdiction over the boundary between the U.S. and Mexico that ensures adequate treatment of the sewage exchanged between the two countries. Countries with poor political communication face problems with transboundary sewage. Between Israel and Palestine, millions of cubic meters of sewage are released into the environment annually, creating further tension.

Environmental Health

• Transboundary sewage can be fatal to marine life.

  Treating transboundary sewage lowers the risk of environmental hazards by not contributing to water pollution. Untreated sewage contains suspended solids that block sunlight from penetrating underwater plants, which disrupts entire ecosystems of aquatic wildlife. Sewage is also responsible for clogging fish gills, as well as increasing concentrations of heavy metals such as mercury in fish and other marine animals.

Public Health

• Transboundary sewage has the potential to contaminate groundwater sources in receiving countries, thus affecting their water supply and drinking water quality. Microbial contamination will also affect beachgoers, as well as the quality of harvested seafood such as shrimp. This leads to an increased incidence of waterborne diseases, including skin and ear infections, hepatitis, meningitis, cholera and other diarrhea-causing infections. Thus, treating transboundary sewage help alleviates such concerns.