Wastewater has become a new political problem in Europe, as climate change is likely to lead to flash floods and overloading of sewage systems. This was reported by Bloomberg.
According to him, this applies not only to pollution of the Seine (Paris) and the Thames (London). Many European cities, such as the Belgian Ghent, have a centuries-old infrastructure that has not been cleaned of a large amount of household and industrial waste. It is noted that a violent public outcry was caused by sewage spills in the UK.
Moreover, climate change will lead to precipitation, and those, in turn, to flash floods and sewage overload, the agency notes.
In 2024, the European Union updated the rules for wastewater treatment, which had not changed for 30 years before. However, many countries ignored the updates in the legislation, the agency reports.
"Untreated wastewater promotes the growth of algae that destroy other vegetation, depriving animals of the food they need and killing shellfish that act as natural filters. Wastewater may contain chemicals and microplastics. There is also a risk of bacteria such as E. coli and enterococci, which cause people to get sick," the article notes.
It is specified that water treatment systems on the continent are gradually becoming obsolete. For a long time this was not considered a significant problem, but gradually it becomes obvious to European states that something needs to be done with sewage waste.