Advanced Ecotechnology for Decentralized Wastewater Treatment and Reuse - Restorative Redevelopment of Devastated Ecocultural Landscapes - page 378

ecological engineers seek to design and manage infrastructure and ecosystems from
a systems ecology perspective to benefit both society and nature (van Bohemen
2005; Mitsch and Jorgensen 2004). The ecological engineer's view of infrastructure
embraces concepts of ecosystem function (e.g., the role of wetlands in flood control
and water quality improvement) as foundational elements of engineering design (see
chapter 19).
A parallel development within environmental engineering has been the evolu-
tion of viable alternatives to centralized wastewater treatment and reuse (Crites and
Tchobanoglous 1998). There is now a widespread realization in the technical and
regulatory communities in the Unites States that continued expansion of centralized
collection, treatment, and reuse (or discharge) is neither economically feasible nor
technically necessary in many areas of the country (U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency [EPA] 1997). Some developing countries are turning to decentralized waste-
water treatment infrastructure even in urban environments to escape the huge capital
costs associated with centralized infrastructure (Viet Ahn 2004). As will be dis-
cussed in this chapter, ecotechnology is well suited to many decentralized wastewa-
ter treatment applications.
Why is this topic relevant to Iraq? Others have pointed out that dams on the
Euphrates and Tigris Rivers have deprived the Iraqi marshlands of the abundant
water enjoyed since the dawn of civilization. Both Iraqi and Turkish dams (Kazem
and Osman 1998) have radically altered the ancient patterns of spring floods that
flushed and renewed the marshes. Expanding populations and severely curtailed
water volumes induce water stress in terms of both demand and pollution loading.
Land-based communities within or near restored marshlands can ill afford to pollute
their own water supplies. Moreover, smaller communities cannot necessarily expect
to be served by centralized wastewater infrastructure. It is likely, therefore, that a
decentralized treatment and reuse model, as adapted by the Iraqi engineering com-
munity to local needs and culture, will prove useful in this region.
CULTURE AND WASTEWATER REUSE
Wastewater reuse is not entirely a technical matter. Engineering, microbiology, and
epidemiology necessarily inform choices of technology and management for waste-
water reuse, but they alone do not sufficiently inform these choices. Culture plays a
decisive and varied role. Wastewater reuse is not viable if its intended beneficiaries
are appalled at a proposed use of water initially containing human excreta, no mat-
ter how clean the treated water may be. Senior design and planning professionals in
the field of wastewater reuse must either consider the sociocultural aspects of reuse
or risk certain failure of the project (Dingfelder 2004; Wegner-Gwidt 1998; World
Health Organization [WHO] 1989).
Culture and religion are intimately related. In areas of the world where civil law
is influenced by religious law, how local religious authorities regard proposed waste-
water reuse can be every bit as decisive as secular regulations or public opinion.
The emergence of powerful Islamic political movements in Iraq since the fall of the
Ba'athist regime clearly reveals the strength of Islam in contemporary Iraqi culture.
How will the influence of Islam affect wastewater reuse? As shall be seen below,