Snowballing transmission of COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) through wastewater: Any sustainable preventive measures to curtail the scourge in low-income countries?

In this communication, we proposed sustainable preventive measures that may be adopted by the low-income countries to forestall the potential outbreak and transmission of COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) through wastewater. Most low-income countries have poor sanitation and wastewater management policies, which create potential risks of COVID 19 spread. Hence, the proposed measures include decentralization of wastewater treatment facilities, community-wide monitoring and testing of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater samples, improved sanitation, developing point-of-use devices for wastewater decontamination, and more focused policy interventions. Therefore, this paper adds useful insights into the monitoring and management of ongoing COVID-19 outbreak in low-income countries.
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Highlights • The potential risks of COVID-19 in wastewater are highlighted. • Wastewaters from hospitals, quarantine centers, etc. dedicated to COVID-19 treatments may contain SARS-CoV-2 RNA particles. • Preventive measures to tackle the potential risks of SARS-CoV-2 transmission in wastewater are proposed. • Chlorination, ozonation, and UV radiations are useful in SARS-CoV-2 deactivation in water.