Wastewater to Replace Fresh Water in Iranian Industries

Iranian industries across the country’s provinces are replacing their fresh water usage with treated wastewater, according to the deputy of planning and economic affairs of Iran’s National Water and Wastewater Engineering Company.

Emphasizing that a directive on water reallocation has been issued to all provincial industries, Masoud Alavian said, “Under this framework, industries nationwide are to substitute their fresh water supply with treated wastewater.”

“Iran’s Seventh Development Plan explicitly mandates industries to utilize non-conventional water sources,” he added. Alavian noted that industries currently consume 3.7 billion cubic meters of fresh water annually. “Efforts in the initial phase aim to redirect 1.6 billion cubic meters of this demand to treated wastewater,” he stated.

The chairman of the board of the National Water and Wastewater Engineering Company stated that wastewater treatment plants can be a substitute for conventional water resources, adding, “Currently, approximately 87 million cubic meters of treated wastewater are sold annually, and contracts for approximately 312 million cubic meters have been concluded with industries on a reciprocal sale basis.”

He stressed that implementation hinges on scheduled timelines, adding, “Priority in reallocation is given to industries with geographical feasibility for non-conventional water use.”

“Studies on this initiative are complete. Identifying industries eligible for the shift will simultaneously create opportunities for expanding treatment plant capacity and infrastructure,” Alavian clarified. “Steel, petrochemical, mining, and refinery sectors — the largest water consumers — have already signed reallocation contracts,” he said. According to Alavian, “Industries such as food production and sanitary goods lack reallocation options and will continue using fresh water.” - Iran Daily