Humans will produce waste every time they do activities, both liquid waste and solid waste. Therefore, the human population influences the amount of waste produced. Both domestic and industrial waste, all waste can turn into a threat when it is not managed properly.
Through the Entertainment Talkshow entitled “The Secret in Wastewater: How To Reveal Chemical Composition and Population Health”, the lecturer of Environmental Engineering President University who is currently a doctoral candidate at Auckland University, New Zealand, Maryani Paramita Astuti, S.T., M.Sc., explained the chemical content contained in wastewater and its impact on the health of the human population (11/6).
Focusing on discussing wastewater, Maryani mentioned that wastewater is water that has been used, from the sink, washing machine, shower activity, and toilet. She revealed several reasons why wastewater needs to be managed properly. The first reason is the human health risk. If the water that humans drink is contaminated with waste, side effects that can be caused include typhoid fever and diarrhea. According to research in 2014, diarrhea is the main cause of 31% of postnatal deaths and 25% of child deaths in Indonesia.
The second reason is environmental impact. One of the closest to us is the Ciliwung River and the Citarum River, which are often referred to by the media as the dirtiest river in the world. Maryani mentioned that dirty river will again harm humans. “Once it pollutes your river, it will get back to you. This river will get to your groundwater, and then you extract your groundwater and consume it,” she said.
The last reason is the scarcity of clean water. One reason why this happens is that we do not distribute water sources properly. An increase in population that is not followed by an increase in wastewater management also makes scarcity of clean water in some places.
Responding to this problem, the role of Environmental Engineering graduates is now increasingly important because contamination of waste that is increasingly damaging the environment requires immediate treatment. “If you are curious about the opportunities of the environmental engineers, I would say that the future is bright,” Maryani said. She mentioned that with the increase in the human population and an increase in the amount of waste, there will be more jobs for graduates inc Environmental Engineering.
In handling environmental problems and work prospects, Maryani said, “We can be involved in the infrastructure projects, or doing environmental conservation. And then, environmental health, we can monitor water, air pollution, or solid waste. Or, we can focus on industrial hygiene, which is many focus on health and safety in the workplace.” (NG/SL)
Source: https://president.ac.id/p/148-news/detail/736-wastewater-and-its-impact-on-human-being