To expand sewage collection network and boost effluent reclaiming capacity in the northern Gilan Province, 13 wastewater treatment facilities are under construction, registering a 50% progress, the head of R&D Department at the provincial water and wastewater company said.
“Estimated to cost $200,000, the plan will cover nearly 250,000 people in Rasht, Bandar Anzali, Astara, Fouman, Talesh, Astaneh Ashrafieh, Roudsar, Siahkal, Somesara, Masal and Langeroud,” Alireza Ghiasi was also quoted as saying by the Energy Ministry’s news portal.
Giving a breakdown, he noted that plants will increase the province’s sewage processing capacity by at least 30,000 cubic meters per day to reach 200,000 cubic meters per day.
Close to $100,000 have been spent on the 13 projects and they are expected to become operational in 2023.
Ghiasi noted that wastewater collection network schemes in the villages of Imamzadeh Ebrahim and Palangposht Shaft have made 45% progress and about $80,000 have been invested so far in the plans.
Due to its moderate climate, agriculture and animal husbandry thrives in Gilan. Over half of its farmlands are under rice cultivation and the region is a major rice producer and exporter.
Other well-known Gilan products include tea, citrus fruits, hazelnut, peanut, potatoes, pumpkins, olives, silk cocoon and caviar. It annually produces 2.5 million tons of farm products.
Wastewater treatment facilities in northern Gilan Province is lagging behind due to poor and underdeveloped infrastructure, especially in the rural areas.
An estimated 90 million cubic meters of wastewater are produced by households in the northern tourist region per year, a big portion of which (70 mcm) is not recycled and flows into the Caspian Sea, or is lost to seepage.
Environmental Protection
Wastewater collection is key to protecting the environment because if it’s not treated and channeled into the network, it could contaminate the clean underground water.
“Annual water consumption in the household sector in the major northern tourist hub is 150 mcm, which produces close to 90 mcm of effluent. Not reclaiming the massive volume is a big economic and environmental loss with adverse effects for the water tables,” Ali Dafsari, a lawmaker from the region, said.
“Close to 90% of water demand in the region are met from underground resources and failing to efficiently treat wastewater will contaminate underground water and endanger the health of 2.5 million people.”
Dafsari said sewage collection network in the province extends over 1,000 kilometers but many households, particularly in rural areas, are yet to be linked to it.
Lack of efficient rainwater management in Gilan is the main culprit causing floods, mainly in the suburban areas.
Annual rainfall in the green and picturesque region is about 1,100 millimeters (the highest in Iran). Nevertheless, due to the absence of wastewater and surface water collection networks, high levels of precipitation has always spelled trouble for the residents who bear the consequences of floods.
An estimated 151,000 households in 818 small towns and villages on the outskirts of the urban and rural areas of Gilan have been supplied with piped water since 2001, managing director of the provincial water and wastewater company, Mohebali Ranjvar, said.
"The implementation of water projects in the region has so far cost $23 million," he added.
Water Storage Tanks
Ranjvar said 6,000 kilometers of high-pressure water pipelines have been laid so far, 45 deep wells have been dug and 60,000 water storage tanks have been built in Shaft, Amlash, Fouman, Lahijan, Masal, Astara and Langeroud counties.
A total of 182 villages or 22,000 households are expected to be provided with potable water by the yearend (March 2023), for which 12 water supply units will be built at a cost of $15 million.
Access to drinking water is a major concern throughout the world. Health risks arise from consumption of water contaminated with pollutants or harmful chemicals that can transmit diseases such as diarrhea, cholera, dysentery and typhoid.
Iran’s total urban population has access to piped water as do 75% of rural residents, which figure is planned to reach 81% by 2021.
In 2015, close to 91% of the world’s population had access to an improved drinking-water source, compared with 76% in 1990. Since 1990, 2.6 billion people have access to potable water and 4.2 billion people buy water through a metered connection.
An estimated 2.4 billion people access water through other improved sources, including public taps, protected wells and boreholes, according to the World Health Organization.
But globally, at least 1.8 billion people use a drinking-water source with fecal contamination.
