To harness unconventional water resources for industrial use in the drought-stricken province of Khorasan Razavi, an agreement has been signed on Monday between the National Water and Wastewater Engineering Company of Iran (Abfa) and Sangan Steel Company in Khaf County, deputy director of Planning and Development Department at the provincial Water and Wastewater Company said.
“As per the contract, the steelmaker will not only expand wastewater collection network in Taibad in the eastern Khorasan Razavi Province but also build a sewage treatment facility in the next two years,” Katayoun Delzendeh was also quoted as saying by the Energy Ministry’s news portal.
“The plan entails laying a 135-km pipeline to collect sewage produced by 15,000 households. Once completed, the plant’s treated wastewater will be sold to the steelmaker for the next 20 years.”
According to the official, the project, aimed at conserving as much water as possible by drawing on unconventional resources, is estimated to cost $20 million and the steel producer will be supplied with at least 82 million cubic meters of recycled effluent during 20 years.
The Taibad plant will have the capacity to process 14,000 cubic meters of wastewater per day, 80% of which are expected to be delivered to Sangan Steel Company.
Referring to similar moves in other dry regions, Delzendeh said an agreement was signed between Abfa and Shadegan Steel Company in Khuzestan Province last week.
“The water company will supply 8 million cubic meters of reclaimed water per year to the steelmaker over 25 years,” she added.
Treated Wastewater for Farming
The first phase of the Shadegan wastewater treatment plant became operational in July and is expected to help preserve the southern namesake city’s underground water resources and optimize wastewater for farming and industries, Mohammad Reza Karaminejad, the head of the Khuzestan Water and Wastewater Company, said.
“The plant’s expansion plan will start soon and upon the completion of the second phase, the facility’s annual processing capacity will reach 10 million cubic meters.”
The construction of four sewage treatment plants in Khorramshahr, Abadan, Bandar Imam Khomeini and Mahshahr [all in Khuzestan Province] has made 60% progress and are scheduled to go on stream in 2023, in which case close to 50 million cubic meters of effluent will be processed in the oil-rich region per annum.
Referring to similar moves in other areas, Karaminejad noted that Abfa and Isfahan Steel Company, Iran's biggest producer of structural steel in Isfahan Province, have concluded a long-term agreement based on which the steel producer will be supplied with at least 125 million cubic meters of recycled sewage for 20 years.
Globally, economic and environmental pressures have led to the growing use of recycled water, including for irrigation of non-food crops, green spaces, recovering arid land, fire systems, industrial cooling, sanitation and even indirect and possibly direct sources of drinking water in some countries.
“Water-intensive industries are almost wiping out the limited water resources in most provinces, including Khuzestan, Qom, Yazd and Isfahan, and the need to recycle and reuse wastewater has become a do-or-die issue,” the water official said.
Effective Approach
One effective approach is to build as many wastewater treatment plants as possible to recycle not only industrial but also household sewage.
There are over 220 wastewater treatment plants in Iran and total sewage treatment capacity has surpassed 11 million cubic meters per day.
Of the total 7.5 billion cubic meters of usable water that can be treated in Iran annually, less than 25% are recycled, Abfa statistics show.
According to Mohammad Alaei, the head of provincial water company, extraction from non-renewable water resources in Khorasan Razavi Province has reached alarming levels.
"At least 25% of what is being consumed now belongs to future generations," he said.
Referring to measures to reverse the high consumption and prohibitive trend, the official said sealing illegal wells is a top priority.
The process of installing smart meters on authorized water wells has been expedited so that water extraction can be monitored accurately and round-the-clock.
The water official noted that people in Iran’s most important religious province have yet not recognized the scale of the water crisis.
“It is the company's responsibility to spread awareness. If not, a bad situation will get worse,” he said.
More than 30 million pilgrims from in and outside Iran visit Mashhad, the provincial capital and major shrine city, every year.
According to Alaei, Iran–Turkmenistan Friendship Dam over Hariroud meets 70% of the drinking water needs of the province.
