FREE WEBINAR ON SUSTAINABLE WASTEWATER MANAGEMENT
by PSSE in partnership with ANTHROSERV
sanitation. While substantial progress has been made in increasing access to sanitation,
the Philippines still has the long way to go to cover its sanitation targets. Currently, only
10% of the total wastewater generated is treated in the country. A major factor in these
statistics is the high CAPEX and OPEX costs of putting up wastewater treatment plants
to comply with the new DAO 2016-08 & DAO 2021-19 standards.
Wastewater management does not equate to wastewater treatment. Like any other waste
management practice, wastewater management should go through the waste
management hierarchy. In this manner, wastewater management becomes sustainable,
even profitable. It should start with resource efficiency and cleaner production (RECP)
principles to prevent wastewater discharge upstream. Wastewater treatment shall be the
last option in wastewater management.
There is no wastewater treatment technology that fits all. You may hear from different
technology providers that their technology is the best among the rest, but environmental
engineering principles state otherwise. The end-of-pipe techniques for wastewater
treatment are usually composed of various technologies classified under either
preliminary, primary, secondary, or tertiary treatment. Arranging them in sequence
depends on the type of wastewater and the desired effluent water quality. You can think
of it as puzzle pieces that need to merge depending on the photo intended.
For business owners, pollution control officers and especially sanitary engineers, it is very
important that they understand the step-by-step procedure on holistic wastewater
management, from upstream analysis to technology selection, to prevent unnecessary
investments.
The resource speakers are expected to train the participants in RECP principles, including
water audit, to identify wastewater management saving strategies. Further, participants
will be taught how to identify design parameters, such as capacity and quality, and decide
on what wastewater treatment technology is suited for them given the constraints in their
costs, space, and operations.