The capacity of Karaj Water Treatment Plant will increase by 33% with the use of new equipment and ceramic membrane filtration system, the managing director of Alborz Province Water and Wastewater Company said.
“Using ceramic filters, which are produced by domestic knowledge-based companies, will increase the water treatment capacity from 300 liters per second to 400 liters per second,” Hamidreza Namdari was also quoted as saying by the Energy Ministry’s news portal Paven.
The development project has registered 95% progress and it is expected to become operational by the end of the current Iranian year [March 20, 2023], he added.
“Water treatment using ceramic filters is one of the most advanced water purification methods. In addition to occupying little space, it has a higher quality of purification compared to sand filters,” he said.
The ceramic membrane filtration system is a water treatment system to generate clean and clear tap water by eliminating impurities (bacteria and protozoa such as cryptosporidium) and turbidity in raw water from river systems and well water.
Moreover, a project is underway in Alborz Province to build water storage reservoirs with a capacity of 55,000 cubic meters.
Although the region has water reservoirs to hold 500,000 cubic meters, plans are underway to increase the capacity by 40%, as the water crisis is escalating.
Of the total new capacity (200,000 cubic meters), close to 22,000 cubic meters are in place, about 55,000 cubic meters will become operational by mid-March and the rest is expected to come on stream in 2024,
The province’s population increases by 100,000 people per annum and supplying water to 4 million residents in the hot summer days poses a big challenge.
Illegal Withdrawal
Mass migration, low precipitation and illegal water withdrawal from depleting underground water resources have contributed dangerously to water scarcity in the province.
In the 1990s, groundwater was available at a depth of 15 meters, but now wells have to be dug at least 300 meters to reach water.
The pattern of relocation to the province from many dry regions has dramatically increased water demand. It has also created new challenges for utilities and urban managers struggling to handle the influx.
An estimated 1 billion cubic meters of water are consumed in the province annually, of which 60 mcm are provided by rivers and the balance comes from underground resources and wells.
Households, industries and the agro sector on average use about 277 mcm, 40 mcm and 624 mcm of water every year, respectively.
Alborz Province, 30 km northwest of Tehran, covers an area of 5,800 square km, of which 700 sq km are farmland. It has more than 3,500 industrial units, most of which produce water-intensive products like food and textile.
The textile industry is dependent on water in almost all stages of manufacturing. Dyes, specialty chemicals and finishing chemicals used to produce clothing are all applied to fabrics in water baths.
Most industrial towns are tapping into the dwindling underground water tables, as a result of which aquifer levels drop by 90 centimeters a year.
