Wastewater or sewage can tell us volumes about the health of a community. The idea here is very simple — most pathogens of interest, e.g., bacteria, virus or protozoa remain viable in the sewage environment for days.
Wastewater-based health surveillance or environmental surveillance is an excellent tool for tracking the presence of different pathogens in the environment. All it needs is a regular and consistent testing of wastewater. It is quite economical and provides real-time data, which makes it very useful for developing countries such as India where not everyone has access to healthcare.
