Sustainable Water and Wastewater Management in Hospitals

Abstract

Hospitals are institutions that require high quantities of water in a certain quality and hygiene without interruption. However, in settlements where water supply is difficult and water quality is low, sufficient quality and quantity of water supplying has become an important cost item for hospitals. Besides, there are many macro and micro pollutants in the structure of the hospital wastewater. The negative effects of these pollutants on aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems are quite high. For this reason, today, in the framework of the concept of sustainability, it has become compulsory to establish and operate integrated water and wastewater management systems in hospitals. In this study, the activities causing water consumption in hospitals and the units with high water consumption were defined, the amount and quality of water required for these activities and units were determined, the alternatives that could be used in obtaining sufficient water were evaluated and strategies for reducing water consumption were put forward. In addition, the characteristics and quantities of wastewater from different units in hospitals are summarized, examples of these wastewater reuse applications are presented, and finally, appropriate treatment alternatives that can be used for the treatment of hospital wastewater have been defined. Keywords: Hospitals, Water management, Wastewater management, Sustainability