This paper describes the assessment of the sustainability of a number of different sewage treatment technologies by means of a multi-criteria, participatory method. A pilot-scale study was done in the presence of various stakeholders like high-ranking officials from Water Supply and Sewerage Boards of Chennai, Hyderabad, Gujarat and Municipal Corporations of Pune and Surat city and experienced technocrats, to find out sustainability triteria and indicators for three different sewage treatment systems: (A) Conventional Activated Sludge Process (B) Waste Stabilization Ponds, and (C) Upflow Anaerobic Sludge Bed (UASB) Reactor followed by Polishing Ponds. Technologies were compared according to four criteria subdivided into twenty operational indicators. Criteria and indicators were evaluated as in a weighted-scale matrix. In India, sustainability criteria used in this type of comparisons are often restricted to a limited set of environmental impacts and financial costs but in this study additional criteria were evaluated including economic, social, and technical aspects. Based on the values assigned by the panel, the Sustainability Index (SI) was calculated for each technology. According to the SI and a predefined scale, sustainability was medium for options A and B, whereas high for option C. The purpose of this pilot-scale study is to provide a basis for the selection of a particular technology based on a rational and democratic assessment of its contribution to sustainability in the local and global context.
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