The drafting of the work plan for the low-carbon water and wastewater industry is linked to a number of the 17 sustainable development goals, including the following : The goal number "6" of the document "Ensuring Public Access and Sustainable Management of Water and Wastewater", whose realization is the responsibility of the water and wastewater industry, itself consists of a variety of parts, including access to safe drinking water and sanitation facilities for all individuals, water quality improvement through reduction of pollution and reuse of water, implementation of integrated water resources management at all levels expansion of international cooperation and supporting capacity building for the development of countries and programs in water and wastewater activities, including water extraction, water desalination, water efficiency, wastewater treatment, and ultimately supporting and enhancing nongovernmental (private) partnership for promotion of water and wastewater management.
Also, in order to achieve the goal number 7 of this document which refers to "ensuring access to affordable, sustainable and modern energy" and includes topics such as a substantial increase in the share of renewable energy, optimization of energy efficiency, increased global cooperation to facilitate access to clean energy research and technology and increased investment in energy infrastructure and clean energy technologies, expansion of infrastructure and technology upgrades to provide modern and sustainable energy services, it is really important to review and measure the potential renewable energy sources at the water and wastewater level of the country. The goal number "11", which emphasizes on sustainable urban development and includes the reduction of mortality and damages and the reduction of financial losses caused by disasters related to waterborne diseases, reducing the amount of adverse effects of cities on the environment (including special attention to urban management and waste management), as well as the issues of resilience against disasters and development, given the share of urban water and wastewater as one of those liable in urban management, and given the possibility of increasing the resilience of urban water and wastewater installations using renewable energy, developing the use of renewable energy in these facilities should be placed on the agenda of the country's water and wastewater industry. Controlling the climate change and taking immediate action to fight it over the next 15 years is also an important objective (goal 13) of this document .
Co-benefits:
Department of Environment: Given that the goal of this plan is to move towards a low carbon industry and sustainable development, the Department of Environment can be placed alongside the water and wastewater company by providing technical ideas and information in this field, issuing necessary licenses in various fields and expediting their issuance, confirming the various forms sent for utilizing various international sources etc.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs: since the expansion of international cooperation and the use of other countries' financial and technical capacities is a key part of achieving the sustainable development and the low carbon water and wastewater industry goals, planning for the development of international relations and the use of global environmental incentives for bilateral or multilateral, regional or international technical and financial cooperation is essential, and Ministry of Foreign Affairs' cooperation and consultation can be very useful in achieving these goals.
Ministry of Jihad Agriculture: With start of this initiative, this ministry can be involved in many projects alongside the country's water and wastewater engineering company. An example is cooperation in the preparation and use of surplus activated sludge and the effluent of wastewater treatment plants in the agricultural industry.
The Ministry of Agriculture can help with the introduction of experts and even with designating pilot areas for the project of using surplus sludge from the treatment plants as fertilizer and it can also help in the marketing and sale of this product.
Various departments of the Ministry of Energy: This ministry consists of various departments, including Sana, Tavanir, and Research Institute of the Ministry of Energy, the cooperation with whom is important for the development of this program. For example, using renewable energies through construction of solar power plants or electricity generation from the height differences available in different water sectors or energy use by installing massive turbines in different parts of the water and wastewater treatment plants or generating electricity from sludge dig-esters in wastewater treatment plants all require the licensing of various departments of the Ministry of Energy as well as their expert advice. Therefore, the coordination between these sectors and the water and wastewater company of the country can accelerate the implementation of such projects. End most importantly; support to sell the produced energy is also another contribution from these sectors.
Ministry of Science, Research and Technology: Naturally, various academic and research studies in the field of water and wastewater and the low carbon industry can be used as resources and prevent duplicate tests and researches. The advice of professors and students active in this field can, likewise, be effective in getting positive outcomes. Undoubtedly, the relationship between industry and universities will play a significant role in this project, and many research projects and inventions will be industrialized.
On the other hand, in order to implement various projects, it is necessary to cooperate with many knowledge-based companies for consulting and implementation, therefore, it is possible to foster the grounds of cooperation with science and technology parks and use the experiences and capabilities of companies based in these settlements.
Private sector: After specifying the objectives of the project, it is necessary to prepare the project plan in cooperation with reputable national and international consultants, and assign one or more prestigious companies with the responsibility of preparing the final plan.
But after the document has been prepared, it is necessary for the execution of different projects to cooperate with some consulting companies and domestic and foreign contractors in order to design, implement and even sometimes operate the projects. There is also the need for various Iranian and foreign equipment, and cooperation with manufacturing companies can facilitate the process and in cases where it is necessary to import equipment from other countries it will be necessary to cooperate with companies importing various equipment and technology.
People: In addition to people's participation in the elaboration and implementation of this document through non-governmental organizations and people's constitutions, eventually, if this program is compiled and different projects are implemented, a long step will be taken towards a low-carbon economy, and considering the results of various projects that will be effective not only in reducing emissions but also in increasing public health, fighting against drought, preventing pollution of water resources, etc., the main beneficiaries of this national project will be people of cities and villages and the next generations of Iranians.