Wastewater Treatment in Central Asia: Treatment Alternatives for Safe Water Reuse

Due to water scarcity and ready availability, treated wastewater in Central Asia is increasingly reused and seen as a valuable resource, requiring effective management with particular care for human health, environmental protection, and water security. Due to limited technical and economic support and poorly developed regulatory systems, many cities have inadequate wastewater treatment infrastructure. Improved wastewater effluent management is paramount due to its relationship with surface and groundwater quality used for drinking and agricultural irrigation. This paper presents a brief review of the published literature reporting on current wastewater treatment technologies and effluent composition, with particular attention paid to reuse needs. The impact of these practices on water quality is further assessed from information and reports gathered from various sources on the quantity and quality of surface waters and groundwaters. Finally, alternatives to current wastewater treatment practices in Central Asia will be explored with a particular emphasis on the removal of contaminants of emerging concern, including biological treatment systems, adsorption, advanced oxidation processes, and managed/unmanaged aquifer recharge techniques based on permeable reactive barriers, aiming to increase the availability and quality of surface waters and groundwaters for safe water reuse.