Introduction

Access to potable water is essential to life. It is a right enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and it is critical to meeting all of the Millennium Development Goals. Due to population growth, increased industrialization and climate change, the scarcity of safe, pollutant-free drinking water sources is a major problem. In terms of waterborne contaminants, which include inorganic and organic chemicals as well as pathogens/microbes, the World Health Organisation considers that microbial hazards remain the primary concern in both developing and developed countries. This introductory chapter explains the problems posed by waterborne pathogens, and the need for improved monitoring technology of these microbes is confirmed. The chapter provides an overview of the book, explaining the overall structure and the contents of each chapter. This introduction further highlights that the main focus of this book is on alternative, developing and emerging technologies for the detection of waterborne pathogens, and the aims of the book are described.