Multi‐criteria analysis to identify the factors affecting water reuse scheme in India

Abstract

The growing interest in alternative water supplies is impelling societies, government bodies and industries throughout the world to conduct research and discuss the feasibility of reuse of treated wastewater. Treated wastewater has emerged as an affordable source of water supply worldwide. Designing of wastewater reuse systems involves consideration of multiple criteria such as technical, social, economic, environmental, legal as well as multiple stakeholders. The objective of the present study is to develop a multi‐criteria decision‐making (MCDM) approach using Analytical Hierarchical Process (AHP) for the selection of significant criteria and sub‐criteria governing the planning and execution of water reuse systems considering the local conditions and end users. The weightage of the individual parameters is obtained. The results indicate that the weightage of different criteria varies for different stakeholders. The analysis may help in developing a holistic approach for reuse of treated wastewater inducing improved decision‐making at authoritative levels.

A Review of Reclaimed Water Reuse for Irrigation in South Asian Countries

“…In Surat City, Gujrat, India, a public-private partnership (PPP) wastewater treatment and reuse project failed due to lack of coordination and efficient flow of information among stakeholders at various managerial levels. 99 Second, countries also lack skilled human resources for establishing and implementing RW reuse guidelines, assessing health risks, and imposing necessary protection measures. 46,65 For example, Pakistan has a comprehensive national level policy and institutional setup for the sustainable development of wastewater management system, but only on paper.…”

“…However, due to various challenges (as discussed in section ) in the South Asian region, awareness programs about RW reuse and the reuse projects fail to succeed even after much investment. For example, the failure to conduct proper financial and economic study during the preliminary phase caused a wastewater reuse project to fail in Vishakhapatnam city, India . Therefore, prior to spending valuable national resources, the feasibility of RW reuse projects needs to be assessed based on the existing state of physical infrastructures, economics of benefits and costs, possible financing structure, country’s governance structure, socio-environmental impact, public perception, market conditions, RW application methods, and sensitivity of crops. , …”

“…First, poor coordination among the various research bodies, institutions, public agencies, and industries causes limited, fragmented, and nonsystematic approach to RW implementation and research being carried out. , For instance, in India, which is the only country with RW reuse guidelines in South Asia, there is poor coordination between regulatory bodies and authorities within same state or between states. In Surat City, Gujrat, India, a public-private partnership (PPP) wastewater treatment and reuse project failed due to lack of coordination and efficient flow of information among stakeholders at various managerial levels …”

“…Documented challenges of RW reuse in South Asian countries. ,,,,,,,− ,,,,,,,− Icons inside the pentagon indicate the presence of a specific barrier in the country. Per capita GDP is for the year 2021 for Afghanistan and Bhutan and 2022 for the remaining countries (Table S3).…”

Promoting wastewater treatment in India: Critical questions of economic viability

“…Yet, assessing the economic value of the treated water is not easy. It depends on the opportunities that exist for the reuse of wastewater (Goyal & Kumar, 2021; Hanjra et al, 2015; Kumar & Tortajada, 2020) and the positive externalities (Kumar & Tortajada, 2020). Given the vast variation in water resources endowment and the climatic conditions that influence the availability and demand for water for various competitive uses and the environment (Niranjan et al, 2021), such opportunities vary from region to region.…”