Terror-Related Wastewater Pollution in the North-African Region

The initial focus of our research was a recently published article that examined the potential for wastewater treatment systems to be vulnerable to terrorist attacks. The findings of the present study have prompted the continuation of research on a regional basis, with the aim of analysing the threats to water reuse in North Africa. In the present analysis, the objective was to summarise the results by means of database processing and by searching for relevant sources in English and Arabic. While wastewater treatment facilities do not constitute the primary objectives of terrorist organisations, research on attacks and databases indicate that these facilities are becoming increasingly significant to terrorists and terrorist organisations. Furthermore, scientific findings suggest that such attacks are becoming more prevalent. It is evident that the perpetrators of these attacks are not exclusively affiliated with organised groups; on occasion, individuals also perpetrate such acts. In certain instances, these events constitute direct attacks against sewage treatment facilities, while in others, the impact is indirect, affecting the broader sewage system. The most notable cases are presented in the results section. The authors' conclusions indicate that the significance of wastewater treatment plants and equipment has increased in recent decades in the context of terrorist activities. This assertion is substantiated by the databases and scientific literature analysed.