Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change has redefined the usage areas and criteria of treated wastewater with the amendment made in the Waste Water Treatment Plants Technical Procedures Communiqué. The ministry aims to reduce water use in line with the principles of circular economy and to purify the wastewater and reuse it as alternative water in different areas.
For the first time, provisions regarding the reuse of treated wastewater were developed with the Water Pollution Control Regulation (WPCR) in 1988, and the "Reuse Criteria for Treated Waste Water as Irrigation Water" was included in the "Technical Procedures Communiqué on Waste Water Treatment Plants" published in 2010.
In line with these regulations, treated wastewater is reevaluated in many areas, such as landscaping and agricultural irrigation, industrial use, groundwater feeding, and domestic and industrial applications. In this context, it is seen that there is a decrease in the rate of water use.
Murat Kurum, minister of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change, stated on his social media account, "It is our national duty to protect our water. This is our duty to protect the future of our children and our country. We take every step for this. We use treated wastewater to prevent water waste and use water more efficiently. We've expanded the scope of use, he emphasized.
The statement also stated that due to drought, increasing pressure on water resources, and the decrease in water resources potential, the reuse rate of treated wastewater will work as an alternative water source, aiming to increase by 5% in 2023 and 15% in 2030.
