METHs are drugs that enter wastewater through the feces and urine of users. Conventional wastewater treatment plants are not capable of removing this type of emerging contaminant, but, in recent years, techniques have been developed to abate drugs of abuse. The present investigation focused on obtaining the technique that keeps the best balance between the comparison criteria considered: efficiency; costs; development stage; and waste generation. That is why a bibliographic review was carried out in the scientific databases of the last eight years, concluding that the six most popular techniques are: SBR, Fenton reaction, mixed-flow bioreactor, ozonation, photocatalysis, and UV disinfection. Subsequently, the Saaty and Modified Saaty methods were applied, obtaining a polynomial equation containing the four comparison criteria for the evaluation of the techniques. It is concluded that the UV disinfection method is the one with the best relationship between the analyzed criteria, reaching a score of 0.8591/1, followed by the Fenton method with a score of 0.6925/1. This research work constitutes a practical and easy-to-use tool for decision-makers, since it allows finding an optimal treatment for the abatement of METHs.

Although cemeteries are sacred sites where decomposing bodies are permanently deposited, until now relatively little attention has been paid to the possibility that they constitute a source of water contamination. The present research intends to evaluate the levels of physicochemical contamination of rivers near ten cemeteries in central Ecuador by analyzing a variety of physicochemical parameters in the field and laboratory during dry and rainy periods. A statistical analysis was conducted, demonstrating that the majority of variables are lacking for regular patterns or homoscedasticity to be demonstrated. Subsequently, an analysis was performed using the Kruskal–Wallis test, concluding that there was no significant difference between sampling sections and periods, but there was between pre-established categories, so for that reason it was decided to work only in the dry season and the results were compared with the EPA regulations, depending on the use of water from each river. It was concluded that there is a high probability of environmental contamination in the river by the cemeteries termed “Not suitable” because they registered greater non-compliance with the maximum permissible limits, while cemeteries categorized as “Completely adequate” had a lower probability of contaminating the water. It is suggested that a normative, globally applicable criterion for the optimal location of cemeteries or final disposal sites be established.