Treatment efficiency of the sewage stabilization ponds at Chokera, Faisalabad was carried out with respect to the parameters (i.e. BOD 5 (Five Days Biochemical Oxygen Demand), COD (Chemical Oxygen Demand), pH, Turbidity, TS (Total Solids), TDS (Total Dissolved Solids), Copper, Lead, etc.). Parameters under investigation were monitored at six different locations (i.e. Influent of treatment plant, Influent of anaerobic Ponds, Effluent of Anaerobic Ponds, Effluent of Facultative Ponds, Drain before disposal of treated sewage and Drain after mixing with treated sewage). The testing was done during the low flow season i.e. BOD 5 removal efficiency of the treatment plant was found 30.08 against designed value of 90% removal. The removal efficiency of COD, TS, TDS, pH, Turbidity, lead and Copper was found 36.56, 22.43, 30.40, 3.43, 73.50, 34.13 and 41.15%, respectively. The maximum removal was of turbidity which is 73.50% but still none of the parameters of the effluent were meeting the PEQS (Punjab Environmental Quality Standards) 2012 except pH and TS. The reasons of low efficiency included lack of funds by government for operation and maintenance of the ponds, increased population, mixing of industrial sewage with domestic and less attention to maintain the performance of Ponds.

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Leather industry is the second largest export-earning sector of Pakistan. However, because of poor waste management, this industry has been continuously polluting the environment. In this paper, the impact of tanneries on the groundwater quality of Kasur city (i.e., the second largest leather producing city) is examined. The study is conducted in the following three phases: (I) water samples collection, (II) determination of physio-chemical properties, and (III) application of data mining techniques. In phase I, groundwater samples were collected from various sources such as hand pumps, motor pumps, and tube wells. In phase II, several physio-chemical properties such as (i) total dissolved solids (TDS), (ii) pH, (iii) turbidity, (iv) electrical conductivity (EC), (v) total hardness (TH), (vi) total alkalinity (TA), (vii) nitrates, (viii) chromium, (ix) fluoride, and (x) chloride were estimated. The estimated values of all these foregoing parameters are then compared with the Punjab Environmental Quality Standards for Drinking Water (PEQSDW). In phase III, principle component analysis and cluster analysis of the estimated parameters were performed to elucidate the relation between various parameters and to highlight the highly vulnerable sites, respectively. The results exhibit that most of the sampling collections sites are at the threshold of losing quality water. Moreover, it is also found that Mangal Mandi carries the worst groundwater quality among all sampling locations. Overall, it is concluded that serious attention is due from the water and wastewater authorities to further investigate and monitor the groundwater quality of Kasur before the country strikes with another pandemic after COVID-19.

Natural systems are a cost-effective way to clean wastewater from small communities. This paper aims to use an optimization technique to minimize the volume of concrete needed to construct a facultative pond provided within a series of three ponds. A nonlinear constrained optimization model was written and then solved using one of the Add-Ins of MS office. The add-in used was Excel Solver, and the algorithm was generalized reduced gradient (GRG). Before applying the optimization model, wastewater stabilization ponds (WSPs) were designed using various configurations and arrangements. The best possible configuration that gave minimum area and hydraulic detention time was selected for the study area. Afterward, the optimization model was applied that further reduced the area by 11.46 %, hydraulic detention time by 11.47%, and concrete volume by 6.94% compared to the traditional approach. In both methods, effluents satisfy the Turkish class-B standards for irrigation. It is recommended that a small-scale application of the model be made to compare the results before applying it on a large scale.

This research work proposes a mathematical optimization model for constructing two ponds (1. Facultative pond and 2. Maturation pond) provided in series. The model uses concrete volume as its objective minimization function. There were two decision variables; the first was the detention time (DT) and the second in the list was the number of provided baffle walls (NBW) in both ponds. The constraint parameters include fecal coliforms and biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5). The model was applied with the help of an Add-Ins of MS Office: Excel solver. The generalized reduced gradient algorithm was utilized in the solver (GRG). Before applying the mathematical optimization model, ponds were designed with the conventional method and then using optimized values of the variables. A comparison of the findings reveals that a 13.79 percent reduction in the DT, an 11.55 percent reduction in the area, and a 7.19 percent reduction in the volume of concrete occurred. The reduction values mentioned above are significant since these systems' fundamental drawback is the area's requirement. In addition, sensitivity analyses of the objective function and the removal of pollutants are also provided. The model described above is sensitive to variations in the parameters. Both analyses demonstrated that the effluent characteristics comply with the class-B irrigation standards in Turkey. It is advised to do more optimization studies for WSPs with the help of other algorithms and tools available in the literature for distinct wastewater treatment plants.