Optimizing city-level centralized wastewater management system using machine learning and spatial network analysis

Abstract

Access to proper sanitation is a basic human right and a crucial component of public health. Wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) play a critical role in ensuring sanitation access by preventing water pollution. However, in Bandung, one of Indonesia’s strategic cities, only 63% of the population has access to proper sanitation. Therefore, this study aims to identify priority areas for developing a centralized WWTP system using models that consider wastewater production and the availability of sanitation access on a building scale. The novelty of this study lies in integrating wastewater production models and sanitation access availability to prioritize developing WWTP systems at the building level and developing a pipeline model to connect WWTP candidate points with priority building targets. We also analyzed the suitability of optimal WWTP locations to support the development of wastewater treatment systems and determine wastewater pipeline routes using the optimal path method in priority areas. To model wastewater production, we used the number of residents per building and building area as the basis. The availability of sanitation access was modeled by considering the percentage of access per district, identifying urban slums, and analyzing proximity to existing wastewater pipes and rivers. After the modeling process, we classified nine development priority classes. Our results revealed that there is approximately 7.38 km2 of priority area for developing a wastewater treatment system in Bandung which comprises 67,135 priority buildings and 178 potential sites for WWTP. These priority areas are mostly located in the districts of Bojongloa Kaler, Astanaanyar, Batununggal, Kiaracondong, Cibeunying Kidul, Coblong, and Sukajadi. This study’s findings provide valuable insights for policymakers and urban planners to prioritize developing WWTP systems in areas that need them most. It also highlights the importance of considering sanitation access availability and wastewater production models when planning and developing WWTP systems.