Wastewater reuse critical for food security, CGIAR official says

The reuse of treated wastewater is strategically important for food security and the protection of water resources, CGIAR (formerly the Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research) Executive Managing Director Ismahane Elouafi said.

Report informs that she made the remarks during a panel discussion held as part of the 51st Annual Meetings of the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) Group in Baku.

According to Elouafi, investment in innovative technologies should be increased to reduce wastewater treatment costs.

"We must focus on treatment technologies and the reuse of treated water in agriculture to reduce water scarcity, food security risks and malnutrition globally. This is critically important, as water scarcity is one of the most serious challenges facing humanity," she said.

Elouafi noted that damage caused to the environment ultimately affects people.

"If we introduce harmful substances somewhere, they do not disappear; they affect us again in different ways. Therefore, effective solutions must be found to avoid wasting wastewater, treat it and reuse it in agriculture," she said.

She added that environmental monitoring of wastewater should become an important shared infrastructure for protecting food security and public health.