“Close to 500 kilometers of pipelines have been laid in the provincial capital,” Tasnim News Agency quoted Abdolhamid Hamzehpour as saying.
The wastewater plant operating in the city now recycles more than 38,000 cubic meters of sewage a day. With the completion of the sewage network, the plant will recycle over 50,000 cubic meters a day, Financial Tribune quoted him as saying.
In addition to Bushehr, the majority of population in Deylam and Ganaveh counties will also benefit from the sewage network.
Located in southwestern Iran, the arid province is one of the most water-stressed regions.
One effective way to tackle the water paucity in the area is to collect and treat unconventional water resources, namely wastewater.
Unconventional water resources are those that are generated as a by-product of specialized processes such as desalination, or that need suitable pre-use treatment before use for irrigation.
Unlike conventional sources, wastewater is sustainable and its volume has increased in Bushehr in the last decade.
Costly Effluent
Close to $100 million worth of effluent is produced in the province, which can be used in the industrial and farming sectors, but is wasted largely due to lack of wastewater infrastructure.
According to Energy Ministry data, Bushehr water consumption in agriculture, industry and household sectors exceeds one billion cubic meters a year. Water comes from surface, groundwater and desalination sources.
Desalination Units
To help ensure supply of potable water, desalination plants have been set up along Bushehr’s coastal areas off the Persian Gulf.
Seawater or saltwater is desalinated to produce water suitable for human consumption or irrigation.
Three desalination units with total capacity of 75,000 cubic meters of saline water per day are operating in the hot region.
Construction of three more desalination units is underway. With annual desalination capacity of 20 million cubic meters, the new units will become operational by March.
Annually 871 million cubic meters of water is used for farming in the province, households consume 114 mcm and industries 60 mcm.
Main agricultural products in the province include wheat, barley, onions, sesame, tomatoes, eggplants, lemons and dates.
Known as an industrial region, Bushehr is also home to major refineries and power plants. The giant South Pars Gas Field is located in the Asalouyeh County.
Iran’s sole nuclear power plant is in this province. The water needed for the facilities is supplied from the Persian Gulf and their water consumption is not included in the data provided by the regional water company.
To help store surface runoff in different parts of Bushehr, 12 small and large dams are in different stages of construction with a total investment of $174 million.