Operations to supply treated wastewater from Bandar Abbas Wastewater Treatment Plant in Hormozgan Province to industries in the west of the port city have started, the head of the provincial Water and Wastewater Company said.
“Large volumes of reclaimed sewage are dumped into the Persian Gulf as there is no buyer for the valuable resource, but a new 22-km pipeline will help transfer the recycled effluent to the Persian Gulf Special Economic Zone,” the Energy Ministry’s news agency also quoted Abdolhamid Hamzehpour as saying.
Upon the project’s completion at an estimated cost of $20 million, around 110,000 cubic meters of treated wastewater produced in Bandar Abbas Wastewater Treatment Plant per day will be piped to major companies in PGSEZ, namely the Iranian Mines and Mining Industries Development and Renovation Organization, Hormozgan, Kaveh and Saba steel companies, in addition to Bandar Abbas Oil Refinery, he added.
According to the official, the wastewater company will meet half of PGSEZ’s daily requirement for reclaimed wastewater at about 220,000 cubic meters.
“As there are no buyers for the treated wastewater, close to 36 million cubic meters of processed wastewater are poured into the sea annually, causing ecological problems,” he added.
The discharge of treated effluent in water bodies not only leads to eutrophication and human health risks, but also contributes to greenhouse gas emissions in the form of nitrous oxide and methane.
According to Energy Ministry data, less than 25% of the wastewater are recycled in Iran despite the worsening water crisis.
Given years of dwindling rainfall and rising consumption, economists and independent experts have called for funding to collect, treat and recycle water.
Catastrophic Impact
Wastewater is seen as a valuable resource for generating energy, nutrients and water for irrigation, industrial and even drinking purposes in several countries, as governments awake to the gravity of the water deficit and its catastrophic impact on livelihoods, economic development and social welfare.
According to the International Water Association, around 80% of all wastewater are discharged into the world's waterways leading to health, environmental and climate-related hazards.
Estimates suggest global wastewater treatment capacity is 70% of the wastewater generated in high-income countries, and barely 8% in low-income countries.
Located in the west of the port city of Bandar Abbas, PGSEZ boasts massive reserves of oil and gas, proximity to iron ore mines as raw material to steel industries and easy access to the open seas. It also shares the advantages of Iranian special economic zones, such as tax and customs exemptions to boost investment.
Hormozgan has a population of 1.6 million and 1.1 million are covered by the provincial water company’s services.
Although Iran is located in an arid and semi-arid area, access to saltwater in the north (Caspian Sea) and south (Oman Sea and Persian Gulf) is seen as a potential advantage.
There are 17 desalination units in the coastal province that produce 130,000 cubic meters of water per day.
Several villages in the area have been abandoned due to water paucity, drought and joblessness. Expanding Bandar Abbas desalination infrastructure can help curb migration and contribute to sustainable rural development in the dry region.
