Modernization of wastewater management in Iran

Growing environmental problems require strategic action

To date, only one fifth of the Iranian population is connected to a sewerage system, and only around a third of the country's wastewater is treated in sewage treatment plants. In view of increasing damage to the environment and pollution to drinking water, the World Bank and the Iranian government have commissioned inter 3 to develop a financing and investment strategy for the comprehensive modernization of the wastewater sector.

Objectives: Resource Conservation and Economic Growth

The primary objective of this World Bank-funded project is the modernization of wastewater infrastructure by 2025. To this end, the level of investment, where the investment should primarily be made, and how the investment is to be financed will be established. The measures should affect verifiable improvements in hygiene and resource conservation, and facilitate economic growth, as well as enabling increased re-use of wastewater for example in agriculture.

Approach: Comprehensive data sets for cost calculation

In order to consider the challenges adequately, the current state of wastewater disposal and treatment will be assessed and the future development of population and water consumption estimated. The investment calculation will be carried out with the aid of the software program "FEASIBLE”, based on stock data from over 400 Iranian cities and government targets for 2025. inter 3 is following the maxim of "overtaking development”: In each respective local context, the best suited technologies and methods are applied.

Results: Strategies for multiple cost categories

The investment plan will include not only new investments and amortizations but also operation and maintenance costs. This will make sustainable budgeting and the separation of finance strategies into cost categories possible. Multiple scenarios will be calculated for the latter showing the effect of altering tariffs and consumption projections. The plan will be based on a priority list as modernization measures cannot be implemented at all locations at the same time.