Selection of the Most Feasible Wastewater Treatment Technology in Pakistan Using Multi-Criteria Decision-Making (MCDM)

Industrialization plays an important role in the economic growth and development of a country. Pakistan is a developing country that heavily relies on its industrial sector to aid in its sustainable economic growth but the increase in the number of industries has also resulted in a rapid increase in pollution due to poor management of industrial effluents. Many technological solutions are available for wastewater treatment, ranging from conventional treatment methods to advanced technologies. However, the selection of an optimal wastewater treatment technology (WWTT) is a difficult task owing to several alternatives available and multiple criteria involved in the selection process. To resolve this issue, the purpose of this paper is to evaluate different WWTT based on certain pre-defined criteria, and selecting the most suitable technology using multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) approach. In this research, five WWTT used in Pakistan were evaluated based on ten criteria using fuzzy VIKOR method. The results of the study show that activated sludge is the most suitable technology for industrial wastewater treatment in Pakistan being ranked first, followed by membrane filtration and sequential batch reactor ranked second and third respectively. The study provides an evaluation framework for decision-makers in Pakistan to select the most appropriate technology for wastewater treatment. The selected alternative can further be implemented in the existing and upcoming industrial estates to reduce the ever-increasing water pollution in Pakistan.