A total of 252 wastewater treatment plants with a capacity of 5.7 million cubic meters per day are operating in different parts of Iran, the deputy for supervision and planning at the National Water and Wastewater Engineering Company of Iran (Abfa) said.
“Currently, 53% of the population, equivalent to 36 million people, are covered by the sewerage system,” IRNA also quoted Hashem Amini as saying.
“At present, 71,114 kilometers of transmission lines have been laid across the country and more than 8.5 million households are connected to the wastewater collection network,” he added.
The official noted that 87 wastewater treatment plants, with a total capacity of 1.739 million cubic meters, are under construction.
Last year (ended March 2022), the amount of treated wastewater amounted to 1.49 billion cubic meters per year, about half of which was used in the agricultural sector and the rest by industries and municipalities.
As water shortage has reached critical levels, more farmers and industrialists are willing to tap into unconventional resources to meet demand.
Amini said industries and farmers will sign more contracts with Abfa, as acute water shortage has pushed both the agro and industrial sectors over the edge and they cannot meet their water demand anymore.
Industries’ total annual demand for water is estimated to be about 1.3 bcm that can be met through treated wastewater.
In fact, the current processing capacity has helped reduce extraction from underground resources by as much as 1.5% or 1 bcm per year.
Located in one of the world’s most water-stressed regions, Iran’s average precipitation rate has been lower than the global average for at least 10 years. Some experts and environmentalists denounce a widely-held notion that chronic water shortages can only be alleviated by higher precipitation.
Global Status
Despite the opportunities that wastewater presents, the global reality is that only a very small portion of the total wastewater produced is collected and treated, let alone exploited for the recovery of resources.
It is estimated that globally, over 80% of all wastewater produced are discharged into the environment without adequate treatment, although the level varies across different regions.
According to UN-Water, an interagency mechanism that coordinates the efforts of United Nations entities and international organizations working on water and sanitation issues, high-income countries treat an average of about 70% of the wastewater they generate. This ratio drops to 38% in upper middle-income countries and to 28% in lower middle-income countries. In low-income countries, only 8% of wastewater generated undergo treatment of any kind.
The global wastewater treatment market, valued at $250.38 billion in 2021, is forecast to reach $462.49 billion by 2030.
Wastewater treatment is a step-by-step procedure of converting wastewater into usable water, which can be discharged back into the environment. It majorly involves three stages - primary, secondary and tertiary. Increased environmental initiatives by governments worldwide for low waste generation is expected to boost the market growth. Furthermore, the continuous growth of population and urbanization increases demand to regulate wastewater that also fuels market growth.
Despite the driving factors, high installation, equipment and operation costs are expected to hinder market growth during the forecast period. This is while aging infrastructure in developed countries is likely to negatively impact market growth. The Covid-19 pandemic negatively affected wastewater treatment services in industries.
