Assessment of wastewater reuse potential under multiple application scenarios : the case of Lahore City, Pakistan | |
| Author | Zubair, Saaib |
| Call Number | AIT Thesis no.UWEM-21-01 |
| Subject(s) | Wastewater--Treatment Water reuse--Pakistan--Lahore |
| Note | A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Urban Water Engineering and Management Jointly offered by Asian Institute of Technology, Thailand and UNESCO - IHE, the Netherlands |
| Publisher | Asian Institute of Technology |
| Abstract | Globally, 80% of wastewater is discharged without any treatment. On the other hand, rapid urbanization, climate change and poor water management will soon cause serious water shortage in developing countries like Pakistan. In developed countries, wastewater is being used as an alternative to cope up with the rising water demands and to maintain the environmental quality whereas in developing countries, only 8% of wastewater undergoes any kind of treatment. This study focuses on assessing the potential of wastewater reuse in one of the major cities of Pakistan, Lahore. Agricultural and industrial sectors are considered for reusing treated wastewater from the biggest wastewater treatment plant in Lahore. Costs and benefits analysis was carried out to assess potential scenarios and it turned out that reusing treated wastewater for agriculture would be the best option. Economic Internal Rate of Return (EIRR) for this scenario turned out to be 19.71% with a discount rate of 10%, and the benefit-to-cost ratio was 1.45. The benefits considered include freshwater resource saving, fertilizer cost saving, environmental benefits such as reducing health impacts, recharging groundwater aquifer, which will result in decreasing the burden on the freshwater resources. The study shows that reusing treated wastewater will prove to be very beneficial as it is also the need of the hour, due to rising water demands, over-exploitation of groundwater resources and decreasing water accessibility in the study area. |
| Year | 2021 |
| Type | Thesis |
| School | School of Environment, Resources, and Development (SERD) + School of Engineering and Technology (SET) |
| Department | Department of Energy and Climate Change (Former title: Department of Energy, Environment, and Climate Change (DEECC)) |
| Academic Program/FoS | Urban Water Engineering and Management (UWEM) |
| Chairperson(s) | Xue, Wenchao;Kennedy, Maria Dolores (Co-Chairperson); |
| Examination Committee(s) | Shipin, Oleg;Sundaram. Mohana; |
| Scholarship Donor(s) | Orange Knowledge Programme (OKP); |
| Degree | Thesis (M. Sc.) - Asian Institute of Technology - UNESCO-IHE, 2021 |