Application of Analytic Hierarchy Process in Selecting the Most Appropriate Method for Wastewater Treatment in Meybod Villages in Yazd, 2018: A Descriptive Study

Background and Objectives: Today, use of wastewater treatment systems in urban and rural areas is necessary to protect the health of communities, prevent water resources pollution and reuse of wastewater. Therefore, this study aimed to select the best wastewater treatment method for Meybod villages in Yazd based on analytic hierarchy process (AHP). Materials & Methods: This descriptive study was carried out in 2018 to compare four wastewater treatment methods including Wetland, stabilization pond, concrete extended aeration and pre-made extended aeration for wastewater treatment in the villages of Meybod city, Yazd. Data were collected by a researcher-designed questionnaire and the statistical population included 20 faculty members and experts. Finally, the processes were weighted according to technical, economic and environmental criteria and using paired t-test and analyzed by Expert Choice software. Results: Wetland method with weight of 0.37 was the best option for the treatment of rural wastewater, and the stabilization pond, pre-made extended aeration and concrete extended aeration with weight of 0.276, 0.179 and 0.175 were next in the rank, respectively. Also, the most important criteria for selecting the wastewater treatment method were environmental (56.6%) and technical (23.9%) criteria, respectively. Conclusions: According to the environmental, technical and economic criteria of the wastewater treatment methods in this study, Wetland method is the best technology for rural wastewater treatment of the studied villages. Keywords: Wastewater management; Wastewater treatment; Analytical Hierarchy Process, Meybod villages   Funding: This research was funded by Islamic Azad University, Meybod Branch Conflict of interest: None declared Ethical approval: The research was approved by the Ethics Committee of Sports Sciences Research Institute (IR.SSRC.REC.1397.011).   How to cite this article: Mosavi Bafroei S H, Amrollahi M, Eslami H. Application of Analytic Hierarchy Process in Selecting the Most Appropriate Method for Wastewater Treatment in Meybod Villages in Yazd, 2018: A Descriptive Study. J Rafsanjan Univ Med Sci 2019; 18 (8): 783-96. [Farsi]