Water management well under control
Istanbul has a history that goes back thousands of years and has always been seen as the point where the East meets the West. What’s more, it has always been famous for its cultural diversity and lively way of life. As a result, the city has steadily grown since it was founded almost 2,700 years ago – a process that is getting faster and faster as modern Turkey develops. This development, however, has brought with it some huge challenges for the city’s planners, engineers, utility companies and environmental service specialists. REMONDIS Aqua is helping out here by managing water services on the Asian side of Istanbul.
Services for 15 million inhabitants
14 of Istanbul’s 25 city districts are situated on the Asian continent on the east bank of the Bosporus. More than one third of the people living in the Turkish metropolis have their home here. All in all, Istanbul has 15 million inhabitants putting it in 15th place on the list of international megacities. The water authorities responsible for water supply and wastewater treatment in this area recently commissioned REMONDIS Aqua’s Turkish subsidiary, to manage the wastewater treatment plants in the Asian part of the city for the second time. No small task as the following figures show.
Treating wastewater for the City of Istanbul is a mammoth task that needs a network of 51 different plants and facilities
Water management well under control
Every single day, around 3.8 million cubic metres of wastewater are processed in a total of 51 plants. These include 27 biological wastewater treatment plants, 5 wastewater pre-treatment plants, 18 transfer stations as well as a facility that treats wastewater using natural processes. The largest plants first remove any pollutants from the wastewater. The resulting sewage sludge is dewatered, dried and freed of any unpleasant odours before being transformed into heat and electricity in combined heat and power plants. The treated and biologically clean water can then be discharged into the sea via undersea pipelines. A team of 400 employees ensure all these operations run smoothly.
Jens Meier-Klodt, managing director at REMONDIS Aqua International, was delighted that the company had won a further contract from the Istanbul water authorities. “REMONDIS Aqua is doing an excellent job in Istanbul, treating the wastewater generated by a good one third of the city’s population. We’re really pleased that the authorities have commissioned us again for a further two years – a decision that reflects the quality of our work.”
Image credits: image 1: Fotolia: Alex Staroseltsev; image 2: Urheber: İSKİ PAŞAKOEY
