Evaluating the Interests of Different Stakeholders in Beijing Wastewater Reuse Systems for Sustainable Urban Water Management

Abstract

Abstract:Whether water systems can be operated successfully and sustainably is influenced by the attitudes and willingness of stakeholders involved in the management of such systems. This study quantitatively evaluates the interests of different stakeholders in wastewater reuse systems in Beijing. Such interests comprise economic, environmental, and social effects induced by the wastewater reuse systems. The study considers four main stakeholders in Beijing, namely the Municipal Administration Committee (MAC), Municipal Environmental Protection Bureau (MEPB), plant managers, and users. Cost benefit analysis is conducted to determine the aforementioned interests separately from the perspectives of the various stakeholders. The results reveal that not all stakeholders' interests in the wastewater reuse systems in Beijing are satisfied. From the perspectives of both the MAC and MEPB, the evaluation results indicate that both decentralized and centralized wastewater reuse systems are economically feasible. However, from the viewpoints of plant managers and users, the results reveal that only the centralized wastewater reuse systems are economically feasible, whereas the decentralized systems are not. The failure to satisfy the interests of plant managers and users may be a major reason for the interrupted operation of the decentralized systems in Beijing. The study demonstrates that successful and sustainable development of a new water project necessitates satisfying the interests of all stakeholders.

Method selection for sustainability assessments: The case of recovery of resources from waste water

“…Finally, the themes that the participants mentioned to be important were: climate change; economic performance; energy efficiency; feasibility; fossil depletion; human toxicity; innovation; land use; legality; material efficiency; mineral depletion; nutrient balance (eutrophication); perception; physical habitat; physical hazards; safety, security and tranquility; salinization; water depletion. The theme perception covers the interests of and barriers for different stakeholders to support and use resources recovered from waste waters (Liang and Van Dijk, 2016). The themes physical hazards, safety and perception are to be understood in relation to the perception on potential microbiological hazards of resources recovered from waste water.…”