Climate change, environmental degradation, and social transformations have contributed to an escalating global water crisis in recent years. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO), in its State of Global Water Resources report, highlights that approximately 3.6 billion people face water scarcity for at least one month each year. This number is projected to rise to over 5 billion by 2025, underscoring the urgency of addressing water resource challenges.
To align with Sustainable Development Goal 6 (SDG 6), Clean Water and Sanitation, mainly target 6.5 on integrated water resource management, raising awareness about the processes behind water use and wastewater treatment is vital. While daily water use is integral to everyone’s lives, most people are unaware of how wastewater is collected, treated, and regulated before its release into the environment.
Dr. Chang, Director of the NTNU Center for Sustainable Development, organized a visit to the Dihua Wastewater Treatment Plant on November 29. The event focuses on water resource management and ecosystem preservation, collaboration with environmental education facilities, and environmental education teachers from Taipei. The visit offered participants experiences and educational activities to enhance water literacy and encourage sustainable water practices in daily life.
The Dihua Wastewater Treatment Plant, Taiwan’s largest secondary wastewater treatment facility, plays a critical role in managing the city’s domestic wastewater. With a daily treatment capacity of up to 500,000 cubic meters, it processes wastewater generated by approximately 2 million people. The plant features a semi-underground design that minimizes odor emissions and optimizes land use by converting the surface area into a 4.6-hectare recreational park. This park is freely accessible to the public, offering a comfortable and healthy environment for leisure and exercise.
During the visit, guides at the Dihua Wastewater Treatment Plant provided a comprehensive overview through video presentations, model demonstrations, and on-site explanations of various treatment processes. Participants learned about the journey of urban wastewater, such as that from baths, toilets, and laundry, through multiple stages of treatment. These include primary sedimentation tanks, deep aeration basins, and secondary sedimentation tanks, followed by disinfection to ensure the treated water meets discharge standards before being released into the Tamsui River. Additionally, some treated water is repurposed as reused water for irrigation and equipment cleaning, demonstrating a practical approach to resource recycling and sustainable urban management.
For most visitors, wastewater treatment is an unfamiliar and rarely considered subject. While people often focus on the cleanliness of their drinking water, they seldom think about how the water they use daily is treated before being discharged. However, improperly treated wastewater can severely damage the environment. In the past, the Danshui River suffered heavy pollution due to the unregulated discharge of sewage. After years of remediation, including establishing the Dihua Wastewater Treatment Plant and other measures, the river’s water quality has improved to moderate or light pollution levels.
Developing a robust wastewater treatment system is crucial for improving urban living environments. Taipei’s wastewater user connection rate has exceeded 80%, the highest rate in Taiwan. Despite this achievement, the city government continues to promote community awareness of connecting households to public sewer systems and phasing out traditional septic tanks. While joining the public wastewater system requires a sewer usage fee, it eliminates the need for septic tank maintenance, reduces the risk of methane emissions, odors, and disease-carrying mosquitoes, and contributes to a healthier and more sustainable urban environment.
Sustainable Development Goal 6 (SDG6) emphasizes universal access to clean, safe, affordable drinking water while improving water quality and sanitation systems. An example is the city of Paris, which launched an ambitious river restoration plan to prepare the Seine for swimming events during the 2024 Olympics. At the heart of this initiative is the enhancement of wastewater treatment facilities. Similarly, Taipei City has made significant progress in river restoration through urban water quality management, gradually revitalizing river ecosystems.
Currently, Taipei is constructing a tertiary treatment facility, the Minsheng Water Resource Recycling Center, which will house a Sewer Environmental Education Center. This innovative site will integrate nearby parks and existing water infrastructure to create a comprehensive “Water Resource Cycle Education Park,” showcasing the interconnectedness of upstream, midstream, and downstream water resources.
Taipei aims to achieve full wastewater management autonomy through enhanced wastewater treatment systems, public education, and policy initiatives. These efforts will foster water resource recycling and establish a solid foundation for environmental protection and sustainable development.
