Application of Decision Making Tool to Determine Effluent Quality Index of Existing Sewage Treatment Plants

Abstract

Water is one of the most essential resources for living and is utilized for different purposes including domestic, industrial, and agricultural and other such applications. The water supplied from city municipalities is primarily used for domestic purposes with about 80% of the supplied water being considered as being generated into wastewater. The scarcity of water in different parts of the world and particularly in developing countries has led to potential reusability of the generated wastewater. However, the reusability of the generated wastewater is significantly dependent on the efficiency of the treatment plants for the treated effluent to be deemed fit for different applications. The efficiency of the existing sewage treatment plant can be determined using the parameter effluent quality index (EQI). It is an important tool which tells the quality of effluent generated by the treatment plants and hence it’s potential for reuse for different purposes. It is determined by assigning suitable weightage to different parameters of wastewater for determining the final effluent quality. As such, this paper uses EQI approach to evaluate existing sewage treatment plants in Himachal Pradesh. Keywords Domestic effluent quality index