To utilize unconventional water resources in the drought-stricken South Khorasan Province, an agreement has been signed by the National Water and Wastewater Engineering Company of Iran (Abfa) and Qaen Steel Company on Sunday, the head of Iranian Mines and Mining Industries Development and Renovation Organization (IMIDRO) said.
“As per the contract, the steelmaker will not only expand wastewater collection network in Qaen County but also build a sewage treatment facility in the next two years,” Amir Sabbagh was also quoted as saying by the Energy Ministry’s news portal.
According to the official, the project, aimed at conserving as much water as possible by drawing on unconventional resources, is estimated to cost $25 million and the steel producer will be supplied with at least 80 million cubic meters of recycled effluent over the next 20 years.
The Qaen wastewater facility will have the capacity to process 14,000 cubic meters of wastewater per day, 80% of which will be delivered to Qaen Steel Company.
Referring to similar moves in the area, he noted that Abfa and Rokh Steel Company in Torbat Heydariyeh County in Khorasan Razavi Province signed a contract last month.
“The water company will annually supply 3.6 million cubic meters of reclaimed wastewater to the steelmaker,” Mousa Alavi, deputy managing director at the provincial Water and Wastewater Company, said.
A 350-km sewage collection pipeline gathers all the effluent in the city and, after treating it, transfers the water to the steel mill through a 40-kilometer pipe, he added.
The plant uses activated sludge method to process sewage, which consists of three main components, namely an aeration tank, a settling tank and a return activated sludge.
It is equipped with axial flow pumps to transfer nitrified solution from the aeration zone to the anoxic zone for denitrification.
Disturbing Levels
Withdrawal from renewable water resources in Khorasan Razavi Province has reached disturbing levels,” Aalavi said, adding that at least 25% of what is being consumed now belong to future generations.
Referring to measures for reversing the prohibitive consumption trend, he said the establishment of wastewater treatment plants is a top priority.
The water official said people in Iran’s most important religious province have not yet recognized the scale of the water crisis.
“It is the company's responsibility to spread awareness, otherwise a bad situation will get worse,” he added.
Another agreement was signed two months ago between Abfa and Sangan Steel Company in Khaf County in Khorasan Razavi Province.
“As per the contract, the steelmaker will build a sewage treatment facility,” Katayoun Delzendeh, deputy director of Planning and Development Department at the provincial water and wastewater company, said.
“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 over 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 a capacity of processing 14,000 cubic meters of wastewater per day, 80% of which are expected to be delivered to Sangan Steel Company.
While the use of reclaimed wastewater has been recognized as a critical and pragmatic solution to deal with water scarcity across the globe, it is regrettable that in some regions of Iran, including Khomein County in Markazi Province, industrialists and farmers still insist on extracting water from depleting ground resources instead of tapping into unconventional options.
According to Yousef Erfani-Nasab, the head of the provincial water and wastewater company, as there is a small market for recycled water, it is poured into rivers, and the odor has made life miserable for residents in and around small towns of the county over the last 10 years.
“A paradigm shift is necessary to promote an economic system in which wastewater is considered a precious resource rather than a liability,” he said.
