Assessment of secondary wastewater treatment technologies for agricultural reuse in Rafah, Gaza Strip: Application of evidential reasoning method

Water scarcity is a global issue confronting the present generation, particularly acute in arid regions such asPalestine. Treated wastewater reuse is recognized as a strategic solution. The challenge in obtaining effluentquality that meets the reuse requirements of the area is how to select the best treatment technology. A multi-criteria decision-making method is necessary for assessing the sustainability of different wastewater treatmenttechnologies. This study selected the most sustainable secondary treatment technology that could producequality effluent for agricultural reuse at the Rafah wastewater treatment plant in the Gaza Strip. The EvidentialReasoning method was applied to evaluate the sustainability of sand filters, constructed wetlands, activatedsludge, and bio-tower technologies. The evaluation was based on four sustainability dimensions and thirty-fiveindicators. The dimensions and indicators were obtained from a review of related literature and validated byexperts. Using a questionnaire, the judgment of local experts (professionals working on the project, selecteduniversity professors, and members of the agricultural NGOs) was used to evaluate the dimensions and indicatorsqualitatively. Data analysis was done using the Intelligent Decision System and Expert Choice software tools. Theutility interval-based evidential reasoning ranking technique was used to rank the wastewater treatment optionswith and without ignorance as follows: constructed wetlands > sand filters > bio-towers > activated sludge.Constructed wetlands ranked as the most sustainable alternative, with a minimum utility of 0.7345. The envi-ronmental dimension, with a relative weighting of 60.4%, was the dimension with the greatest influence onranking the secondary wastewater treatment alternatives.